Gender Equality Policies in the European Union Under the Leadership of Ursula von der Leyen (2019-2024)

Abstract

This study relies on feminist standpoint epistemology and examines von der Leyen’s epistemic agency – her ability to use resources as Commission President during her first term effectively to alter the existing knowledge framework. As indicators of the von der Leyen Commission’s equality policies, this study focuses on her efforts to ensure equal representation in the College of Commissioners, the adoption of the Gender Equality Strategy, the Commission’s Directive on violence against women, and the process of EU accession to the Istanbul Convention. The study acknowledges that achieving numerical equality in representation, the Commission’s most prominent success, is insufficient for advancing gender equality. However, von der Leyen’s initial policies are noteworthy for their potential to drive epistemic transformation as they extend beyond representation, also emphasizing gender-based violence and employment inequalities. In this context, the study examines von der Leyen’s gender equality policies during the 2019-2024 period, marking a departure from previous EU gender equality policies.

Keywords

• EU gender equality policies
• EU Commission
• epistemic injustice
• epistemic agency
• Ursula von der Leyen

Ursula von der Leyen Liderliğinde Avrupa Birliği Toplumsal Cinsiyet Eşitliği Politikaları (2019-2024)

Abstract

Bu çalışma, Ursula von der Leyen’in Avrupa Komisyonu Başkanı olarak ilk döneminde mevcut bilgiyi değiştirme becerisini—epistemik ajansını—feminist duruş epistemolojisi bağlamında incelemektedir. Von der Leyen Komisyonunun eşitlik politikalarının göstergeleri olarak von der Leyen’in Komisyonerler Koleji’nde eşit temsil sağlama çabaları, Toplumsal Cinsiyet Eşitliği Stratejisi’nin kabulü, Komisyonun kadınlara yönelik şiddet Direktifi ve İstanbul Sözleşmesi’ne taraf olma süreci ele alınmıştır. Çalışma, Komisyonun bu dönemdeki en belirgin başarısı olan temsilde sayısal eşitliğin sağlanmasının toplumsal cinsiyet eşitliği yönünde atılacak yeterli bir adım olmadığının bilincindedir. Ancak, von der Leyen’in bu ilk politikaları epistemik bir dönüşüm yaratmak açısından önemlidir ve temsilde eşitlik ile sınırlı kalmayıp cinsiyete dayalı şiddet ve istihdamdaki eşitsizliklere de vurgu yapmaktadır. 2020-2025 Toplumsal Cinsiyet Eşitliği Stratejisi, cinsiyet eşitsizliğinin kaynağı olarak toplumsal cinsiyet kalıplarına işaret etmekte ve bu kalıpların dönüştürülmesi gerektiğini vurgulamaktadır. Bu bağlamda, çalışma, von der Leyen’in 2019-2024 döneminde uyguladığı ve önceki AB politikalarından ayrılan toplumsal cinsiyet eşitliği politikalarını detaylı bir şekilde ele almaktadır.

Keywords

• AB toplumsal cinsiyet eşitliği politikaları
• AB Komisyonu
• epistemik adaletsizlik
• epistemik ajans
• Ursula von der Leyen

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