A Southern European model? Gender regime change in Italy and Spain

Abstract

How do we understand differences in the gender regime of Southern European states? Our study challenges the idea of a common Southern European gender regime by studying evolution of policies against gender-based violence in Spain and Italy from the 1980s until today. This analysis shows that the two countries have taken different trajectories: while the Spanish gender regime is increasingly public-progressive, the Italian one remains public-conservative. The moment of transition to democracy is identified as a critical turning point that shaped the nature of the two gender regimes. This article further develops and operationalizes Sylvia Walby’s theory of gender regime by showing that change is crucially affected by the dynamics between actors defending pro-and anti-feminist projects in the polity and civil society domains.How do we understand differences in the gender regime of Southern European states? Our study challenges the idea of a common Southern European gender regime by studying evolution of policies against gender-based violence in Spain and Italy from the 1980s until today. This analysis shows that the two countries have taken different trajectories: while the Spanish gender regime is increasingly public-progressive, the Italian one remains public-conservative. The moment of transition to democracy is identified as a critical turning point that shaped the nature of the two gender regimes. This article further develops and operationalizes Sylvia Walby’s theory of gender regime by showing that change is crucially affected by the dynamics between actors defending pro-and anti-feminist projects in the polity and civil society domains.