Editorial: Mainstreaming Equality in EU Law and Beyond

Abstract

This Special Issue addresses the topic of mainstreaming equality. Put simply, mainstreaming equality entails that all policy fields must take a core principle into account, namely equality. While there is extensive political science and governance literature on this topic, mostly from a gender perspective, there is much less EU legal literature studying the concept of mainstreaming. The contributions in this Special Issue have in common that they reflect on the challenges of mainstreaming equality in different areas of law. Several of the articles identify EU law as both part of the problem and of the solution, exploring the ambivalent role which law can play in both maintaining and reducing inequality. The articles identify obstacles as well as some recent opportunities to mainstream equality.