ECOSY, as a socialist feminist organisation, attaches great value to its internal gender relations. Delegations to the ECOSY Congress have to be gender balanced, as does the speakers list. We see a gender balanced organisation as a prerequisite to be able to defend feminist values and the realisation of a fairer and more equal world.

The Feminist Network is a place for feminist activists within ECOSY to come together, exchange ideas and experiences, safeguard ECOSY’s feminist stance and to participate in the worldwide feminist movement. The Feminist Network organises seminars, is in charge of the feminist tent at ECSY’s yearly summercamp, and has its share in all other ECOSY activities such as the monthly newsletter and the Bureau Meetings.

As young European feminists, we fight for equal rights for and participation of women, empowerment of (especially young) women, and the abolition of old, gender based, role patterns. We want to raise awareness of persisting inequalities and standards of strong and wise men versus weak and silly women. These inequalities imprison both women and men and need to be gotten rid of before we can realise real long term Gender Equality.

Presently, our priorities are:

• The Third Feminist Wave
In reaction to the conservative backlash of the recent years that would have us believe emancipation has been completed, the ECOSY feminist network wants to raise awareness of persisting inequalities. Even though European women are not legally inferior to men, practice proves the show is still run largely by men. (stats: women on the labour market, in politics, in top positions, in kitchens, victimised, etc)

A strong answer is needed, the ECOSY feminist network wants to make visible these injustices and enthusiasmate young people to resist the establishment that consequently reduces women’s wants and needs to those of “just another pretty face” and conservative role patterns.

• Participation of women in the LGBT movement
The LGBT movement has historically always been very open to the idea of gender equality and empowerment of women. Still, participation of women in the movement is dramatically low. Together with ECOSY’s Queer Network we are searching for the causes of this problem and looking for a way out of it.

• A strong EU Gender Policy
The credibility of national gender policies varies greatly between the Member States of the European Union. This is dependent on both national cultures and Government effort and therefore also fluctuates considerably within countries from one year to another.
The European Union can play a significant role in ensuring a high quality gender policy in all Member States by drafting and financing an Action Plan on gender equality. In December 2005, the European Commission is to come forward with an official communication on gender equality. Click here for the proposal text from the European Women’s Lobby (EWL).

Feminist Network Forum

Swedish ECOSY member organisation SSF produced an excellent handbook to work on gender equality in youth organisations. Better yet, they even made a version in English! To download the handbook as a pdf file click here, to visit the website of SFF, click here.