The Gender Gap between Women’s Political Empowerment and the EU’s Climate Change

Yıl 2025, Cilt: 75 Sayı: 2, 528 - 548, 15.01.2026

Meltem Ince Yenilmez , Burak Darıcı

https://doi.org/10.26650/ISTJECON2025-1787770

https://izlik.org/JA26FC57MW

Öz

The European Union has significantly intensified its climate targets in response to growing environmental threats and economic instability. This study critically examines the impact of women’s political empower­ ment in EU member states during this critical period on the Union’s economic resilience and vulnerability to climate change. The research aims to demonstrate that increased female representation has a profound impact on climate policies, providing more effective and equitable responses to environmental challenges. This research, which synthesizes the findings of studies conducted across the EU, focuses on indicators such as the proportion of women in national parliaments and the European Parliament, levels of participation in environmental advocacy NGOs, and the allocation of public funds. These indicators have been linked to various climate policy outcomes, such as commitment to the economic goals of the European Green Deal, integration of climate issues into national budgets, and implementation of local adaptation strategies. The findings consistently show that the political empowerment of women has a significant and positive impact on climate policy outcomes within the EU. Specifically, increased female representation prioritizes the allocation of public funds toward climate education and resilient infra­ structure, significantly improving environmental governance and promoting fairer resource allocation for green initiatives. Countries with high female representation in political leadership positions demonstrate greater commitment to the Green Deal targets and tend to integrate climate concerns more effectively into their budgets. Evidence strongly indicates that empowering women serves as a key transmission mechanism, directing financial resources and policy attention toward comprehensive climate action. This action, in addition to protecting economies, significantly reduces long­term climate­related expenditures and ensures a fair transition for all participating nations. Therefore, our research provides a strong justification for the implementation of increased measures to support women’s leadership at all levels of EU governance.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Climate Change , Political Empowerment , EU

Kaynakça

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