Gender Equality Policies in the European Union Under the Leadership of Ursula von der Leyen (2019-2024)

This study relies on feminist standpoint epistemology and examines von der Leyen’s epistemic agency – her ability to use resources as Commission President during her first term effectively to alter the existing knowledge framework. As indicators of the von der Leyen Commission’s equality policies, this study focuses on her efforts to ensure equal representation in the College of Commissioners, the adoption of the Gender Equality Strategy, the Commission’s Directive on violence against women, and the process of EU accession to the Istanbul Convention. The study acknowledges that achieving numerical equality in representation, the Commission’s most prominent success, is insufficient for advancing gender equality. However, von der Leyen’s initial policies are noteworthy for their potential to drive epistemic transformation as they extend beyond representation, also emphasizing gender-based violence and employment inequalities. In this context, the study examines von der Leyen’s gender equality policies during the 2019-2024 period, marking a departure from previous EU gender equality policies.