Exploring Gender Mainstreaming in the European Union

Through a review of the literature on the conceptualization of gender mainstreaming, this article offers an analytical framework for the development of a gender-based equal employment treatment policy in the European Union. European Commission reports and European Union legal instruments are analyzed through identifying specific configuration of positions (policy framing) and recognizing the regulatory mechanisms present in the implementation of an equal treatment policy, specifically in the area of employment. Finally, descriptive statistics on the, status of women in terms of pay and key positions held are presented as an estimation of the EU's efforts towards gender mainstreaming strategies.