An article examined the extent to which the emergence of an anti-discrimination policy in the European Union implied a shift in gender equality policies towards an intersectional approach.
Source: Emanuela Lombardo and Lise Rolandsen Agust n, 'Framing gender intersections in the European Union: what implications for the quality of intersectionality in policies?', Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State & Society, Volume 19 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Dec
An article highlighted the weak representation of women in the coalition government; the diminishing resources available to government actors to support gender equality policy; and women's exclusion from the key coalition networks, both formal and informal, that determined government policy.
Source: Claire Annesley and Francesca Gains, 'David Cameron's "problem" with women: representing women in the coalition government', Political Quarterly, Volume 83 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Nov
A new book examined the extent to which women and migrant/minority groups were included or excluded in European public spheres.
Source: Birte Siim and Monika Mokre (eds), Negotiating Gender and Diversity in an Emergent European Public Sphere, Palgrave Macmillan
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Nov
A new book examined debates about gender representation in the judiciary and the importance of judicial diversity. It considered the role of the (woman) judge and the process of judging, and the assumptions that underpinned and constrained debates about why a more diverse judiciary was desirable and how it could be achieved.
Source: Erika Rackley (ed.), Women, Judging and the Judiciary: From difference to diversity, Routledge
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Aug
An article examined the internal consistency and validity of six attitudes scales assessing left-right beliefs, political cynicism, anti-racism, libertarian-authoritarian views, and gender equality (two versions) in two large nationally representative samples of the British population born in 1958 and 1970. All six attitudes scales had good internal reliability and factorial stability, as well as external validity; and they were robust and consistent over time.
Source: Helen Cheng, John Bynner, Richard Wiggins, and Ingrid Schoon, 'The measurement and evaluation of social attitudes in two British cohort studies', Social Indicators Research, Volume 107 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Jul
An annual report examined developments towards gender equality in the European Union in 2011.
Source: Progress on Equality Between Women and Men in 2011, European Commission
Links: Report
Date: 2012-Jun
A new book examined how gender inequalities in contemporary societies were changing, and how further changes towards greater gender equality might be achieved. The focus of the book was on inequalities in production and reproductive activities, as played out over time and in specific contexts. It examined the different forms that gendered lives took in the household and the workplace, and explored how gender equalities might be promoted in a changing world. It considered not only the causes of gender inequalities but also the ongoing implications for economic well-being and societal integration.
Source: Jacqueline Scott, Shirley Dex, and Anke Plagnol (eds.), Gendered Lives: Gender inequalities in production and reproduction, Edward Elgar Publishing
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-May
A new book examined sex discrimination against men and boys, which it said undermined the cause for female equality.
Source: David Benatar, The Second Sexism: Discrimination against men and boys, Wiley
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-May
A report provided an updated general overview of the transposition of European Union gender equality law in the 27 EU member states and certain other European countries.
Source: Sacha Prechal and Susanne Burri (updated by Susanne Burri and Hanneke van Eijken), Gender Equality Law in 33 European Countries: Update 2011, European Network of Legal Experts in the Non-Discrimination Field (European Commission)
Links: Report
Date: 2012-Apr
A new book examined the relationship between gender and welfare states. It considered how far governments had moved from male breadwinner assumptions to gender equality assumptions, and how far gender differences continued to influence social policy and practice. It analyzed the male breadwinner model in terms of power, employment, care, time, and income.
Source: Gillian Pascall, Gender Equality in the Welfare State?, Policy Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Apr
An article examined the potential for 'new actors' in industrial relations to use developments in equality law to challenge government economic policy. It drew on documentary analysis of the Fawcett Society's attempt to gain a judicial review of the coalition government's 2010 emergency Budget alongside legal theory in relation to reflexive regulation and literature that examined 'new actors' in industrial relations. It considered the role of the state and social movements in pursuing gender equality, and how the latter might compete with or complement the role of trade unions. Although reflexive legislation provided opportunities for social movements to complement trade union activity, the role of the state remained contradictory, ultimately thwarting legal enforcement of equality when its economic authority and the interests of capital were threatened.
Source: Hazel Conley, 'Using equality to challenge austerity: new actors, old problems', Work, Employment and Society, Volume 26 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Apr
A think-tank report said that women were bearing the brunt of the cuts to public spending – which affected the supply of jobs, the availability of social assistance and welfare support, and the provision of public services. Taken individually, the elements that made up the existing austerity package would make life more difficult for many women: added together, they spelt a 'tipping point' for women's equality. The report set out a series of key policy recommendations designed to mitigate the worst effects of spending cuts on women.
Source: Daisy Sands, The Impact of Austerity on Women, Fawcett Society
Links: Report | Summary | Fawcett Society press release | Guardian report
Date: 2012-Mar
A survey examined Europeans' perceptions of gender inequalities, focusing on the issue of pay gaps and the measures considered likely to be most effective in reducing them. It also discussed the measures that could be taken to address the under-representation of men or women in certain occupations.
Source: TNS Political & Social, Gender Inequalities in the European Union, European Parliament
Links: Report
Date: 2012-Mar
An analysis found that of the £14.9 billion raised from the coalition government's five spending reviews since 2010, £11.1 billion had come from women, even though they earned less than men on average. Planned changes to tax credits, child benefits, and public sector pensions were largely responsible.
Source: House of Commons working document, reported in The Guardian, 30 March 2012
Links: Guardian report (1) | Guardian report (2) | Working document
Date: 2012-Mar
A report examined women's representation in the Scottish and Welsh parliaments after the 2011 elections. It said that all the major political parties had failed to do enough to promote gender equality.
Source: Women s Representation in Scotland and Wales, Electoral Reform Society/Centre for Women and Democracy
Links: Report | Guardian report
Date: 2012-Mar
A report by a committee of peers said that a more diverse judiciary would improve public trust and confidence in the justice system. Diversity incorporated a number of elements including gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, and social background.
Source: Judicial Appointments, 25th Report (Session 2010-12), HL 272, House of Lords Constitution Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report | Bar Council press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2012-Mar
An article examined how it was that the European Union had (on the one hand) provided an impetus for some of the member states to take action to increase gender balance in decision-making while (on the other hand) its own institutions had remained largely unchanged.
Source: Heather MacRae, 'Double-speak: the European Union and gender parity', European Societies, Volume 35 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Feb
An article said that some recent instruments and policies dealing with gender equality in Europe reflected a move from a narrow anti-discrimination frame to a broader model that tackled the under-participation and disempowerment of women in public and private life as a deficiency of democracy and a problem of citizenship.
Source: Ruth Rubio-Marin, 'A new European parity-democracy sex equality model and why it won't fly in the United States', American Journal of Comparative Law, Volume 60 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Feb
An article examined the contribution made by the instruments of ranking and benchmarking to improving policy-making, with reference to gender equality policies at European Union level.
Source: Anna van der Vleuten and Mieke Verloo, 'Ranking and benchmarking: the political logic of new regulatory instruments in the fields of gender equality and anti-corruption', Policy & Politics, Volume 40 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Feb
A new book examined European integration through a gender lens. It analyzed new and old barriers to gender equality in all realms of European Union activity.
Source: Gabriele Abels and Joyce Marie Mushaben (eds.), Gendering the European Union: New approaches to old democratic deficits, Palgrave Macmillan
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Jan
An article examined women's representation in national parliaments in a sample of developed (OECD) countries. The proportion of women in parliament was explicable in terms of culture – particularly attitudes towards women as political leaders.
Source: Didier Ruedin, 'The representation of women in national parliaments: a cross-national comparison', European Sociological Review, Volume 28 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Jan