Pregnant politicians and sexy fathers? The politics of gender equality representations in Europe

Gender equality has become a core element within the national identity and self representation of ‘progressive’ European nation states, distinguishing them from what is deemed non-European. Gender equality has become the hallmark of what ‘Europe’ stands for. But gender equality is far from one dimensional; its politics are murky. This special issue focuses on the gap between the dominant European discourse on gender equality and the realities of daily politics. It brings into view the contested ways in which a variety of political actors define gender equality — whether it has been achieved, and if not, how it should be. These views are indispensably tied to the ideologies of states, social movements, elites and individuals. This special issue reveals the multiple disciplinary faces of the representation of gender equality in politics. The common thread is how gender intersects with other markers of identity such as ethnicity.