The (De)politicization of Gender Mainstreaming

Gender mainstreaming, a key strategy for promoting gender equality originally advanced by feminists within development programs, holds transformative potential but is susceptible to depoliticization depending on how it is understood, framed and implemented by the different actors involved in the policy process. Depoliticization, often driven by technocratic and top-down approaches typical of neoliberal politics, strips gender mainstreaming of its political and radical feminist roots, reducing it to a procedural exercise. The chapter presents theoretical frameworks on depoliticization, mechanisms through which it occurs, and its manifestation within gender mainstreaming, supported by some examples. Depoliticization erodes gender mainstreaming’s transformative capacity, reduces policy effectiveness, and results in democratic deficits. Strategies to repoliticize gender mainstreaming include political commitment, participatory and intersectional approaches that embrace diverse feminist knowledge and experience, and practices that enhance institutional reflexivity.