Mainstreaming gender at the social partner negotiating table in Europe

This article analyses the current status of gender mainstreaming in collective bargaining in 17 EU countries and Norway. It examines the preconditions for including gender mainstreaming in collective bargaining, as well as within the internal practices of the trade union and employers' organisations. Gender mainstreaming is on the agenda of the union confederations in all 18 countries studied. Employers' confederations tend to integrate gender mainstreaming into their practices to a lesser extent, placing emphasis on matters such as diversity policies and preferring individual tailor-made solutions rather than general rules. Nevertheless, gender is mostly mainstreamed into collective bargaining at a national level. In 14 of the 18 countries studied, collective agreements address the issue of reconciling work and care responsibilities, a central element of the mainstreaming strategy. Although not explicitly categorised as such, the provisions agreed upon are in line with the employability and adaptability pillars of the pre-2003 European Employment Strategy. There is therefore evidence that gender is starting to be mainstreamed and that the male breadwinner model is being questioned within organisations.