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

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 Women’s 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. Inclusion Reversal Displacement Women’s exclusion The male norm The gendered world The multiple goals of gender equality. What is the problem represented to be?

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

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.

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, see:http://www.iwm.at/p-iwmwp.htm#FemManif