WOMENS POLICY NETWORKS AND THE EUROPEAN-UNION

It has been suggested that women's preferred methods of working are co operatively based, enable support, and sharing of experience and empow erment in social and policy arenas. Thus, women are suffused with the concept and methods of networking. However, the study of networks and networking in policy influence and development has not considered wome n's experience of the concept and practice of networking. Policy netwo rk analysis tends to concentrate on policy areas that traditionally ex clude women's interests. The European Union (EU) is increasingly conce rned to encourage networks' influence in the policy sphere. Its record in the field of equality legislation and implementation shows it to b e more sympathetic to the needs of women to enable them to participate in the public sphere. This paper considers whether women's policy net works are exploiting the opportunities offered by the EU, and attempts to consider the barriers to greater participation of women's networks in the EU policy process.