RT Journal Article T1 Gender Equality Policies “Confined”: Adopted Frames in the Prison System in Spain A1 Ballesteros Pena, Ana A1 Bustelo Ruesta, María Dolores AB The literature on gender and politics has consistently neglected the study of gender inequalities in penal institutions. Our article contributes to filling this gap by examining how gender inequality is represented and framed as a policy problem in the Spanish “Action Program for Gender Equality between Women and Men in the Prison System.” Using critical frame analysis, our findings reveal that gender equality policies in prisons reinforce maternal and caregiving roles, emphasize personal dependency and low self-esteem, and characterize women prisoners as “defective subjects” and “victims,” without adopting an intersectional approach. Our main argument is that the prison system’s failure to embrace the exchange of ideas, involve diverse actors, and engage with civil society, particularly feminist and women’s movements, constrains the formulation process of gender equality policies in this area, and also influences understandings of the issues and the proposed solutions. PB Oxford University Press SN 1072-4745 YR 2024 FD 2024-10-18 LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/131176 UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/131176 LA eng NO Ana Ballesteros-Pena, María Bustelo, Gender Equality Policies “Confined”: Adopted Frames in the Prison System in Spain, Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State & Society, Volume 31, Issue 4, Winter 2024, Pages 657–680, https://doi.org/10.1093/sp/jxae018 NO Comunidad de Madrid NO European Union DS Docta Complutense RD 17 mar 2026