Mushaben, J. M. & Abels, G. (2014) “The lack of gender equality in EU decision-making means EU citizens are still suffering from a ‘double democratic deficit’“, LSE EUROPP Blog, 28 August.
The EU has often been accused of having a democratic deficit with respect to deficiencies in the representation of citizens in EU decision-making. Joyce Marie Mushaben and Gabriele Abels discuss the role of gender equality in assessments of EU democracy, including the notion that the lack of an adequate gender balance in EU institutions constitutes a ‘double democratic deficit’. They argue that despite improvements in the number of female MEPs, there is still a chronic lack of women in key decision-making positions, particularly in the Commission and the Council.
The May 2014 elections to the European Parliament (EP) produced results that are as curious as they are disturbing – and fraught with potentially negative consequences for the future of EU gender equality policies. For the first time since the onset of direct elections in 1979, right-wing parties hostile to the EU itself secured roughly 25 per cent of the EP seats. Growing partisan fragmentation both within and between member-state delegations will affect not only the European Parliament’s policy agenda but also its traditional mode of functioning, given the changes enacted under the Lisbon Treaty (Art. 17) as of 2014.
Relevant posts:
- Magalhães, C. P. & Ceka, B. (2014) “The meaning of democracy changes for Europeans depending on their education status, income and national context“, LSE EUROPP Blog, 27 August.
- Dorn, Ν. (2014) “The real lesson from the financial crisis is that we need to stop insulating financial regulation from democracy“, LSE EUROPP, 15 July.
- Innerarity, D. (2014) “EU democracy should be based on the principle of respecting diverse identities, not uniting through the creation of a European demos“, LSE EUROPP, 09 July.