Women, Citizenship and European Community Law: The Gender Implications of the Free Movement Provisions

Although not explicitly concerned with gender, the free movement of persons constitutes one of the four "fundamental freedoms" associated with the EC. The extension of a framework of social rights under these provisions has been said to mark a trend towards the realization of European citizenship. These rights have been consolidated and extended into the political sphere with the ratification of the Treaty on European Union. Community nationals now have the legal status of "Citizens of the Union". The key concern which this paper seeks to address is whether the evolution of such citizenship rights, derived from employment status, effectively institutionalize a dependent and inferior status for women of the European Union.