On the road to intersectional mainstreaming? EU (gender) equality policy between intersectionality and anti-gender backlash

In the wake of the 2024 European Parliament elections and the subsequent recast of the European Commission, this article looks at the opportunities that have not yet been fully exploited to further advance gender equality in the European Union. Crucially, we argue that the way forward lies in applying an intersectional understanding of gender, which goes beyond the gender binary and more thoroughly addresses the interconnections between different categories of inequality. This should entail upgrading the existing EU gender equality structures by embedding an intersectional understanding of equality and deepening gender (and intersectional) mainstreaming in all EU policies. It also should aim to democratise EU processes with a more systematic involvement of civil society in policy making and a decisive pushback against anti-gender actors.