Annual meeting ATHENA3

1

Missing opportunities? A critical perspective of
the European Union's initiatives to address
multiple inequalities

• Annual meeting ATHENA3
• 1 3 June 2007, Budapest
• Mieke Verloo

2
The European Union and a broader perspective to
equality

• Treaty of Amsterdam, 1997, art 13. the Council
  may take appropriate action to combat
  discrimination based on sex, racial or ethnic
  origin, age, religion or belief, disability and
  sexual orientation.
• Charter of Fundamental Rights, 2000, art.21
• Racial Equality Directive (2000/43/EC) the
  principle of equal treatment between people
  irrespective of racial or ethnic origin and gives
  protection against discrimination in fields of
  employment and training, education, social
  security, healthcare, and access to goods and
  services.
• Employment Equality Directive (2000/78/EC) the
  principle of equal treatment in employment and
  training irrespective of religion or belief,
  sexual orientation, and age.

3
A closer look at the Green Paper on Equality and
non-discrimination in an enlarged European Union

• If there are multiple inequalities that are
  interconnected, it makes sense to try to address
  them in a comprehensive way.
• This approach seeks to make the most of joint
  efforts to combat discrimination and to benefit
  from transfers of experience and good practice
  across the various grounds. It provides a more
  effective basis for addressing situations of
  multiple discrimination. EU Green Paper, p.3
• While recognising the specific challenges faced
  by different groups, this integrated approach is
  based on the premise that equal treatment and
  respect for diversity are in the interests of
  society as a whole. EU Green Paper, p.10

4
Claims to address multiple inequalities a
critical view

• Different equality agendas have their specific
  dynamics of inclusion, exclusion, and
  marginalisation and consequently need specific
  analysis and actions in order to find the best
  strategies. (European Womens Lobby)
• There is little evidence that this approach has
  led to greater coherence, but simply to less
  money and resources, and less precise and
  adequate mechanisms to deal with the complex
  issues of human rights, anti-discrimination, and
  equality between women and men. (EWL)

5
Claims to address multiple inequalities a first
look at underlying assumptions of the EU Green
Paper

• The main problem causing inequality is
  discrimination.
• The main solution to this problem is equal
  treatment, preventing discrimination.
• To some extent positive measures are needed too.

6
On the diagnosis of discrimination in the Green
Paper assumptions on where this problem is to be
found?

• mostly at the level of interaction and behavior
  and not at the level of social structures and
  institutions
• purely in society and not at the level of state
  or EU institutions
• solely in the public sphere while it does not
  seem to be a problem in the private sphere

7
Forgotten lessons from gender equality policies?
Anti-discrimination is not enough

• How to tackle gender inequality?
• Equal treatment, positive actions, gender
  mainstreaming are accepted as complementary
  strategies

8
The forgotten lessons from EU gender equality
policies

• Gender equality policies in the EU currently do
  include attention for
• The level of social structures and institutions
• The level of states or EU institutions
• The private sphere

9
Forgotten lessons from gender studies? The
multiple goals of gender equality

• What to aim for?
• Strategies of inclusion, reversal and
  displacement Squires. Gender and Political
  Theory 1999 are politically different
  perspectives on the goals of gender equality
  policies.
• See also www.mageeq.net and www.quing.eu

10
The multiple goals of gender equality. What is
the problem represented to be?

• Inclusion
• Reversal
• Displacement

• Womens exclusion
• The male norm
• The gendered world

11
Diversity mainstreaming?

• Do we need diversity mainstreaming? If so, what
  should it be?
• Addressing the multiple locations, mechanisms
  and intersections of multiple inequalities?

12
Diversity mainstreaming

• Addressing inequalities at the level of
  structures and institutions (in the public and
  the private sphere and in states and state like
  organizations)
• Means addressing sexism, racism, class
  exploitation, homophobia, ageism etc in policy
  making processes and policies

13
Claims to address multiple inequalities a
second look at underlying assumptions in the EU
Green Paper

• Inequality Inequality
• gender inequality is similar to race inequality
  etc.
• The mechanisms of constituting or (re)producing
  various inequalities are similar, even identical.

14
Table 1. Comparing four social categories that
are linked to inequalities
Representations of social categories in terms of Gender Race/ethnicity Sexual orientation Class
Range of positions Dichotomous Multiple Three/Four or more Dichotomous
Origin of social category Contested Nature /Nurture Contested Nature/ Culture Nature constructed Socio-economic construct
Location of inequality Organization of labor, intimacy and citizenship Organization of citizenship and labor intimacy Mostly organization of intimacy and citizenship Organization of labor
Mechanisms (re)producing inequality Material (resources) Discursive (norms) (Sexist) Violence Discursive (norms) Material (resources) (Racist) violence Discursive (norms) material, violence Material (resources)
15
Differentiated inequalities?

• We have all been young, and will hopefully all
  turn old, while some of us can become disabled,
  but few of us will change sex or ethnicity..
• We can decide to become catholic or islamic
  tomorrow, or learn a language, but we cannot
  decide to be old/ young..
• We can hide our sexuality or wealth but we can
  not always hide our poverty or language..

16
Multiple inequalities a closer look at
intersections Crenshaw 1989

• Structural intersectionality inequalities and
  its intersections are relevant at the level of
  experiences of people in society
• Crucial questions how and when is racism
  amplifying sexism? How and when is class
  exploitation reinforcing homophobia? How and when
  is homophobia amplifying racism?

17
Multiple inequalities a closer look at
intersections

• Political intersectionality inequalities and its
  intersections are relevant at the level of
  political strategies
• Crucial questions how and where is feminism
  marginalizing ethnic minorities? How and where
  are measures on sexual equality or on racism
  marginalizing women? How and where are gender
  equality policies marginalizing lesbians?

18
Table 2 Comparing political and policy activities
as connected to four social categories.
Representations of social categories in terms of Gender Race/ethnicity Sexual orientation Class
Political cleavage Social movement Social movement Social movement Parties
Institutional mechanisms Many Growing Few Many
Goals Equality, difference and deconstruction Multiple goals Equality assimilation versus multiculturalism is a hot topic Equality, difference, and deconstruction Multiple goals Accepting abolishment of class difference as a goal
Claims Redistribution and recognition Redistribution and recognition Recognition Redistribution
Political strategies Struggle for equal treatment, positive action, mainstreaming Struggle for equal treatment, positive action, mainstreaming Struggle for equal treatment Redistribution, some positive action
19
Strategies to address differentiated inequalities

• Inequalities are not the same.
• They are a dynamic problem that can be located in
  various distinguished structures, are experienced
  differently and can be (re)produced in different
  ways.
• They are not independent, but deeply
  interconnected, maybe interdependent.

20
Strategies to address differentiated inequalities

• What should be done about inequalities can be
  valued politically in opposing ways.
• Power struggles between various inequalities will
  always be present
• These hegemonic struggles need to be addressed
  and anticipated by
• Careful balancing of resources and
  institutionalization
• Organizing public arenas or institutions for
  these struggles

21
Some criteria to assess the best opportunities of
the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All

• Debates and development of strategies to address
  differentiated inequalities at the structural
  level that take into account that they are not
  the same.
• Attention for structural intersectionality
  gender intersects with all other axes of
  inequality, creating specific inequality problems
  at these intersections.
• Attention for ongoing organized political
  struggle1, debate and deliberation between groups
  represented different axes of inequality.
• Extension of activities beyond anti-discrimination
  policy, attention for social structures and
  institutions, for the role of states and EU
  institutions in producing inequalities, and for
  the private sphere.
• 1.For a conceptualization of such organized
  struggles, seehttp//www.iwm.at/p-iwmwp.htmFemMa
  nif