Contested equality: the gendered dynamics of unpolitics in the European Parliament

Abstract The European Parliament (EP) has traditionally been strongly committed to gender equality, human rights, and LGBTQI rights. At the same time, the EP is also a political institution where populist radical right actors have a strong presence. We study their impact on the EP from a gender perspective. The article applies the distinction between politics and “unpolitics” (Taggart 2018; Zaun and Ripoll Servent 2023) to understand the effects of radical right populism on gender equality policy-making and on parliamentary democratic functioning. Theoretically, we seek to contribute to the emerging discussion on “unpolitics” through a gender lens. We develop a framework of four dimensions to evaluate this impact: (i) discursive tactics, (ii) shifting policies, (iii) changing practices, and (iv) affective atmospheres. We suggest that the interplay between politics and unpolitics in relation to each dimension creates a comprehensive understanding of the radical right populist impact on gender equality in the EP. Finally, we discuss feminist responses to unpolitics and stress both the duality of unpolitics and the dilemma faced by MEPs seeking to protect EU institutions from destructive actors.