Brexit: gendered implications for equality in the UK

Abstract

How can we seek to unpack the complex and gendered dynamics of Brexit amid a deeply divisive and fast-paced debate? We argue that to not address this question is a cost too high. The challenge, given the scope of our intervention here, is to disentangle the work that gender is doing as a structure of power that shapes every aspect of our daily lives. As feminist scholars, we know that gender structures and norms will permeate the myriad possibilities for what Brexit might look like. Therefore, we take as our starting point the nature of the process itself, both pre- and post-referendum, to consider whose voices and what issues have been prioritised. This, we argue, is our best opportunity to consider what the final settlement is likely to look like and how it might shape gender regimes in the UK in future. We also consider current government responses to the crisis, in particular, austerity and its impact on gender equality, arguing that if austerity has been gender-blind, Brexit will be too.