Challenging the Displacement of Affirmative Action by Gender Mainstreaming

In some places where gender mainstreaming is introduced, affirmative action is either reduced or eliminated. This paper asks how this happens. It argues that reform initiatives like gender mainstreaming and affirmative action are best thought of as fields of contestation where the meanings attached to key terms play a significant role in outcomes. That is, the ways in which affirmative action and gender mainstreaming are conceptualized inevitably affects what is done or not done, and how those affected think about themselves and their place in the world. Hence, it is necessary to pay attention to the contested meanings of concepts and to intervene to shape them in ways conducive to desired political objectives.