The EU as a Gender Equal Polity: Myths and Realities

Gender equality is an important aspect of the foundational myths of the European Union (EU). However, despite a number of equality policies, the gender myth has been largely unsuccessful in creating a sense of loyalty among European women. This article draws on two cases studies, parental leave policy and liberalization of the airline industry, to investigate why the myth of gender equality has not resonated with European women. The first case demonstrates that, if the European gender narrative runs up against contending national myths, the EU narrative may be undermined. The second case shows that if EU gender initiatives are forced to compete with dominant narratives in the economic sphere, they are quickly undermined. In other words, the EU gender myth, though well grounded in legislative reality, is too weak to create the gender equal polity that it envisions.