GENDERED INTEGRATION - SOCIAL POLICIES AND THE EUROPEAN MARKET

This paper examines the role of the European Union (EU) in advancing t he position of women in the European policy arena. While the European Commission and the European Court of Justice have fostered the rights of working women, forcing major revisions in national practice, the EU has defined women's issues narrowly in terms of equal pay and sex dis crimination. The EU is unlikely to address some of the major indirect forms of discrimination, such as unpaid labor and job segregation, as the combination of recession and diversity of labor regimes will make it difficult for the EU to reach a consensus among its member states. Advancing women's rights in the EU has always been hindered by the dif ficulties of collective action among the diverse women's networks that exist at the national level. Despite the increased visibility and att ention given to women's rights at the international level in the last decade, women's issues face new constraints in Europe. The post Maastr icht backlash has led member states to reign in EU activism and the Co urt has responded to this political signal, which has major implicatio ns for advancing women's issues at the pan-European level.