Post-socialist “Genderisms“ in Relation to Gender Mainstreaming Policies

Abstract

The aim of this study is to explore the direction Hungarian women’s support groups have chosen to follow since the 1989 regime change or have been compelled to choose after the country’s 2004 Accession to the European Union. In addition, the aim of my study is to discuss the presence/absence of an impartial attitude expected from an academic engaged in the promotion of gender-mainstreaming, the gender policy formulated by the European Union. Special attention is paid to the role of administrative bodies in the growing support of gender policies and trainings funded by EU resources. My major claim is that in the wake of the institutionalization of gender politics, public discourses of “gender-expertise” and “gender equality” with many other “genderisms” have become their own parody, holding up the very objectives of mainstreaming and contributing to the ridiculing of feminist scholarship and activism. The resources referred to in the study are taken from the National Development Agency website, governmental websites, and their gender mainstreaming training material (From Mainstream to Upstream).