Assessing the EU’s role in the struggle for gender equality

Summary:

Presenting evidence from a study of public opinion in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the author illustrates that the European Union’s attempts to promote gender equality can have a potentially polarising effect on public opinion. He writes that the best strategy would be for the EU to use its capacity to help women’s rights directly, such as by funding and training inspectors who can help improve workplace conditions for women. How effective are these efforts in non-EU countries?