Project’s pathways towards impact
1) generating an unprecedented longitudinal and cross-national European dataset on the long-term impact of a wide range of inequalities (and intersections) on political involvement; the relationship between inequalities and forms of political participation; and the differences and similarities across countries and institutional settings.
2) a rigorously tested gender empowerment school-based intervention, particularly designed for schools with a high intake of disadvantaged young people.
3) a toolbox to address gender inequalities in politics among disadvantaged young people, for educational practitioners, civil society activists and policymakers at national and European level.
Our impact
Scientific impact
The knowledge generated from the data collection and analysis phase (WP1-5) on processes conducive to unequal gender political engagement will provide an in-depth comparative understanding of the relevance of various dimensions of inequality for the gender gap in politics, and an assessment of the enduring consequences of intersecting inequalities on political participation.
Social impact in the educational sector
The educational-related tools developed in G-EPIC, including the toolkit for educational practices and the workshop for continued professional development and capacity building, will complement ongoing EC initiatives to challenge gender stereotypes in education. With these initiatives G-EPIC will help to address the key objectives of the EC as framed in the gender equality strategy 2020-2025, seeking to challenge gender stereotypes since these generate setbacks to girls!" prospective political careers; as well as the commitments of the European Educational Area (EEA) on gender equality. These outcomes will also play a crucial role in devising a civic education intervention based on the idea of #learning to participate by participating”. This, in turn, will serve to forge an equitable and inclusive classroom climate, in addition to potentially strengthening student-teacher relations while boosting political confidence of a diverse pupil population. Lastly, by testing school interventions, it will enhance understanding of successful civic education approaches that promote gender equity, are inclusive, and implicitly promote cohesion in European societies. This solid evidence basis will be used to inform policy changes in the educational area.
Social impact on gendered political inequality/civic engagement of disadvantaged girls
GEPIC !s toolbox will have a lasting impact on addressing gender inequality in politics. It will equip girls with the necessary skills and motivations to engage in politics by means of the training they receive during the intervention to boost their political self-efficacy. These educational practices will foster key attitudes for future political engagement, particularly among disadvantaged girls. In this way, G-EPIC helps to develop key competences for life learning, as identified by the EC. These competences work towards the goal of forging active and inclusive citizenship in the European Union and in key partners in the neighbourhood. Moreover, GEPIC will achieve this through a participatory and inclusive process that targets young people with intersecting disadvantages, namely those who tend to be marginalised or have limited access to the democratic process. This is in line with the EC conclusions on fostering democratic awareness and democratic engagement among young people in Europe65 by encouraging young people to #experience self- efficacy, tak(e) initiative, and cocreat( e) in order to develop democratic awareness”. It also aligns with the Youth Strategy action #Engage” that aims to strengthen youth participation in democratic life.
Social impact on gender equality in politics/democracy
The political socialisation of girls, giving them more self- confidence and motivation to be involved in politics, is expected from the widespread use of the G-EPIC toolbox. This will in turn generate an increase in the levels of political self-efficacy of the girls receiving this training. In the medium term we expect that this will be reflected in higher levels of political engagement of these girls when they reach voting age. This could also be mirrored in an awareness that they can follow less conventional career paths, such as running for office or a career in politics, gradually closing the gender gap in political representation. Moreover, since the gender empowerment intervention is targeting girls with various degrees of disadvantage, we expect that in the middle to long run this will have positive spillovers on guaranteeing more equality and diversity in the realm of political leadership and decisionmaking, at least at the local or national level. In this way, G-EPIC will be promoting one of the key actions of the gender equality strategy for the period 2020-2025, related to achieving gender balance in decisionmaking and in politics. Overall G-EPIC!s outcomes will contribute to stimulating gender equality, one of the EU fundamental values according to the European Pillar of Social Rights, and to a vision of a Union founded on the principle of equality for all. Finally, because gender equality in political participation is a keystone of a representative democracy, this will, in the foreseeable future, make the democratic exercise more responsive to the needs of different social groups and promote good governance, having altogether positive repercussions on the quality of democracy in the European Union and critical adjacent partners.
Social impact in the policy sector
The evidence from the data collection and analysis will be applied in accessible policy recommendations and best practices, available to policymakers but also to civil society organisations working in the fields of education, gender equality, youth well-being and social inclusion and civic engagement. The cross- walk tool, moreover, will guide stakeholders with a say in policy to see how school-based intervention can contribute to existing policy frameworks, institutional and educational/social commitments. Along with the workshop for stakeholders, they will serve as a comprehensive framework to consider the interconnections and spillovers between different policy fields that are crucial for the political participation of disadvantaged youth, and for promoting gender equality in politics. This G-EPIC toolbox for policymakers and influencers will serve as a solid foundation for decision-making in the realm of gender equality, and it will improve the process of decision-making in these areas. By bringing the gender dimension to these areas, it will also be assisting in the task of gender mainstreaming in all fields of policymaking. This will most likely create synergies between gender, educational, youth and social inclusion policies aiming to address the gender gap in politics. All in all, G-EPIC initiatives will attempt to precipitate the design and adoption of a more gender-sensitive policy framework in the EU and key neighbour partners.