Gender and the Economic Crisis in Europe

This book is a unique exploration into the gendered politics of the economic crisis in Europe. It focuses, firstly, on the changes in the political and economic decision-making institutions and processes of the EU and their consequences for gender equality policy. Secondly, the book analyses the gendered impacts of austerity politics on member states’ gender equality policies, institutions, regimes, and debates. Finally, it addresses feminist and intersectional struggles and resistances against neoliberal, conservative and racist politics across Europe. The authors consider the gendered politics of the economic crisis from a variety of feminist approaches, shedding new light on the concept of the crisis and on questions of politics, institutions and intersectionality. The case studies included refer to different parts of Europe, from North to South and from East to West, capturing the multifaceted gendered impacts of the crisis. The volume will be of interest to students and scholars of politics, international relations, gender studies, economics, law, sociology, social policy, and European studies.

“This book is the political science analysis to complement the economic analysis. … This book is a direct contradiction to the major accounts of the economic crisis that have excluded any consideration of gender. … The book will be read with interest by feminist scholars of the EU and of politics more broadly. But it would also be a very worthwhile read for anyone seeking to understand the new political and economic dynamics of Europe today.” (Muireann O’Dwyer, EuropeNow Journal, europenowjournal.org, July, 2017) 

Johanna Kantola is Academy Research Fellow at the University of Helsinki, Finland. Her books include Gender and Political Analysis (with Lombardo, 2017), Gender and the European Union (2010) and Feminists Theorize the State (2006). She is one of the editors of The Oxford Handbook on Gender and Politics (2013) and Palgrave’s Gender and Politics book series. Emanuela Lombardo is Senior Lecturer at Madrid Complutense University, Spain. Her latest books are Gender and Political Analysis (with Kantola, 2017) and The Symbolic Representation of Gender (with Meier, 2014). Recent articles can be found in Politics, European Political Science, Gender, Work and Organization, and Comparative European Politics.