Femocracy

FEMOCRACY is the name given to the project in memory of the "velvet triangle", a concept proposed by Alison Woodward to describe the active feminist network of "femocrats" that promoted European public policies aimed at gender equality in the early 2000s. This network included academics, politicians and activists from feminist movements who shared a common goal. Twenty years later, gender equality remains a core value of the EU, a fundamental right and a key principle of the European social rights base, as recalled in the Strategy for equality between women and men 2020-2025. This Communication recognises that there is still a long way to go to ensure real equality in our democratic functioning and that progress towards equality is not irreversible. While the gender gap in education is closing, gender gaps in employment, pay, care, power and income persist. Gender-based violence and harassment continue at alarming levels. At the same time, anti-feminist rhetoric, supported by authoritarian, masculinist and traditionalist movements, is growing. The aim of FEMOCRACY is to démonstrate that research on feminist theory and practice provides methods and concepts for rethinking democracy and addressing the crises facing European democracies, particularly in the context of the COVID epidemic. FEMOCRACY will rely on a network of partners capable of analysing crises and making proposals based both on theoretical reflections and on the analysis of field experiences. The project will build on communities of practice that will bring together civil society, political and economic decision-makers, academia and research, based on the Velvet Triangle model, in order to exchange, experiment, build common knowledge and disseminate good practices and recommendations. The project will have three components: 1. The in-depth study of feminisms. This study will analyse the contributions of the theoretical frameworks proposed by the concepts of gender, care ethics, eco-feminism, feminist epistemologies, strong objectivity, point of view theory, intersectionality, inclusion, queer theory, masculinity, etc. as well as political practices and the renewal of political concepts of equality, identity, solidarity, care, participation, dialogue, individual and collective rights. 2. The analysis of the strategies and effects of anti-feminist or anti-gender mobilisations: dissemination of hate speech and harassment, demonstrations, restrictions on academic freedom, questioning of rights (right to same-sex marriage, right to abortion, etc.). We will study the links between these strategies and the extremist and populist discourse of certain political actors and traditionalist religious movements. 3. The development of communities of practice around equality. The aim will be to develop methods and approaches that make it possible to systematically integrate the gender issue into public policies while intersecting gender inequalities with inequalities of race, class, religion, sexual orientation, in an intersectional perspective. The expected impact is the identification and dissemination, based on case studies, of feminist theories and practices that contribute to development goals: ending violence and gender stereotypes, closing the gender income gap, achieving equal participation in different sectors of the economy, closing the gender gap in family responsibilities and achieving gender balance in decision-making and politics.