Gender politics and gender mainstreaming make part of the core issues in the European Union. Regularly, the Commission and the Parliament name gender equality as a profound pillar of European integration, not only in Europe, but also in other parts of the world. Gender politics are part of international agreements with third countries. But also in inner-European political talk, “gender equality” and “gender mainstreaming” are, discursively, of great importance for the image of the Union.
It is especially the European parliament, which has for many years been pushing forward women’s and gender politics. Here the members often debate on gender issues worldwide like the situation of women in third countries, but also on the shortcomings of gendered policies in Europe and the Union’s member states.
In doing so, images of gender, of women and men are produced in its discursive constitution. My aim is that the construction of European identity is linked to this construction of gender, and of an ideal set of gender relations which is based on equal rights and equal status, but not of equality. Women and men are seen as distinct groups with their specific sets of properties and features. The collaboration of the two genders is seen as a source of great effectiveness. Nevertheless, through this construction gender binarity is reproduced, and the gender image of the EU remains based on the polarity of only two genders – despite the discursive tolerance towards transgender and intersex people.
In my paper I will draw the line from the talking about gender to the construction of gender in debates on women’s interest in the European parliament from 2004 to 2014. I will especially consider the negative effects this construction of gender has on persons outside the binary structure of women and men.
