UNTWIST Handbook: Securing Everyday Life to Secure European Democracy. Executive Summary of Policy Recommendations

Executive Summary at a Glance Political polarisation around gender equality is often framed as a culture war. UNTWIST demonstrates that it is more fundamentally rooted in material insecurity across everyday domains of life. Drawing on cross-national survey evidence (10,000 respondents), qualitative research, and participatory policy development, the UNTWIST Handbook identifies five high-salience domains — healthcare, housing, work–family balance, care, and labour market pathways — where institutional responsiveness is most fragile. This Executive Summary presents prioritised EU-plausible policy packages designed to deliver visible improvements in these areas. By strengthening material security, the European Union can reduce the space for blame-based mobilisation and reinforce democratic resilience. Securing everyday life is not social policy alone — it is democratic stabilisation.