c) Rebekka Kesberg (UvA - University of Amsterdam), who together with Liza Mügge (UvA) studies online anti-gender equality mobilizations and counter-strategies underlined the importance of:
- Sensitization to harmful narratives
- Education about social media rights
- Matching online and offline regulations
- Holding platforms responsible
(3) Intersectional Inequalities
a) “Political Discourse and Its Effects”: Zsuzsanna Vidra (Eötvös-Loránd-University) presented the following key findings concerning gender-based violence against Romani women:
- It is underrepresented in policies and media
- There is a lack of awareness about the intersection of gender, race, and class inequalities affecting Roma women
b) Vera Beloshitzkaya (University of Salzburg) presented key findings and recommendations from her research on intersectional inequalities and the impact of COVID. After conducting a systematic review of available research and a public opinion data analysis together with her colleagues at the University of Salzburg (Mathilde Ceron, Zoe Lefkofridi, Nadine Zwiener-Collins), she concluded that policies in crises (and in general) should:
- account for additional dimensions of inequality
- consider the difficult situation of mothers and low-educated women
- consider that citizens have unequal access to pre-existing or ad-hoc instruments to mitigate the consequences of the crises (e.g., work-from-home arrangements)
- account for the implications on the division of care responsibilities
Afternoon Dialogue with EU Institutions
Moderated by Zoe Lefkofridi (University of Salzburg), this session featured Members of the European Parliament, representing the full political spectrum. Among them were Lina Gálvez Muñoz (Chair of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, S&D Group), Frances Fitzgerald (Former MEP, EPP Group), Lucia Yar (RENEW Group), Alexandra Geese (The Greens–EFA) and Evelyn Regner (S&D Group). Katja Reppel from the European Commission (Head of Unit: Democracy, Equality and Culture) also joined the discussion.
The key take away points from this discussion are:
1. Enhancing communication and social media literacy is essential for collaboratively building aligned narratives, countering disinformation, and addressing structural gender inequalities amid backlash
2. Although significant progress has been made, there is still an implementation gap in gender equality policy at the EU level that needs to be addressed
3. Defending women's rights and gender equality should be at the heart of the EU's political actions, as they are essential for safeguarding our democracies
Dialogue with Civil Society Panel
Leaders like Camille Butin (IPPF - International Planned Parenthood Federation), Mary Collins (European Women's Lobby), and Anna Zobnina (European Network of Migrant Women), guided by moderator Liza Mügge (University of Amsterdam), emphasized the need for grassroots activism and cross-sector collaboration to combat backlash effectively.
Want to learn more?
Watch the Full Recording here.