14508/09 ADD 1 PL/vk 1 DG G COUNCIL OF THE ... - Europa

As mentioned in the earlier section, there seems to be a difference between those Member States
where the gender equality body both takes law and policy initiatives and is responsible for the
implementation of these, and those Member States where the gender equality body mainly deals
with implementation and dissemination. The same distinction can be made regarding how the
Member States put gender mainstreaming into practice. Some Member States implement gender
mainstreaming in law drafting, others in the drafting of programs and projects, and yet others
implement it throughout the whole policy-making process.
Finally, it is important to consider that the structure, techniques and extent of gender mainstreaming
do not give any specific information on the content of gender mainstreaming. What actually is being
mainstreamed depends on how the Member State articulate problems, visions and priorities
concerning gender equality. For example, could gender equality be interpreted differently
depending on whether the focus is on gender difference (as a natural or inherent difference) or on
gender inequality? Depending on how gender equality is defined – both explicitly and implicitly –
the implementation of gender mainstreaming will mean different results in relation to the goal that
is stated in the PfA, i.e. the goal of increasing women’s rights. If gender equality is built on an
understanding of gender as a natural difference between men and women, there is a risk that the
implementation of gender mainstreaming will not challenge prevailing gender relations in society.
Thus, there is a need for each Member State to articulate the relationship between the definition of
gender equality and the content of gender mainstreaming. It cannot be determined from the UNECE
reports by the Member States how and if this is a practice or not.
3.3.4 Other strategies implemented in the Member States
While gender mainstreaming is the main strategy when implementing gender equality in the EU and
the Member States, the EU also adopts a so-called dual strategy pointing to the importance of
working with specific actions in order to reach gender equality. A majority of Member States have
adopted gender mainstreaming as their main strategy, although a majority also clearly states the
need to combine gender mainstreaming with specific actions. These measures are mainly directed
towards women, or different groups of women like immigrant women and women who suffer
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