Radio silence: Gender in the rhetoric of Ursula von der Leyen’s second term
Hauptsächlicher Artikelinhalt
Abstract
Ursula von der Leyen’s second term as President of the European Commission began in December 2024. Building on her first-term gender equality programme, she pledged to continue the daily work for gender equality during her second term. However, what lies behind this promise? Since rhetorical leadership is one of the few areas in which the Commission President has significant autonomy and can demonstrate commitment to a particular issue, the question arises as to whether and how she commits herself to gender in her own words. This article conducts a two-step analysis of all of von der Leyen’s speeches and statements from the early part of her second term, examining how gender is used in various forms. It shows that she no longer uses gender-related terms, and when she does, her discussions are superficial and lack concrete actions. She is blind to issues like disabilities, LGBTQI+ rights, and intersectionality, thus contributing to the depoliticisation of gender as it is increasingly removed from its basis in structural inequality, rephrased through market logic, and therefore losing its purpose.
Bibliographie: Kugelmeier López, Alba María: Radio silence: Gender in the rhetoric of Ursula von der Leyen’s second term, GENDER – Zeitschrift für Geschlecht, Kultur und Gesellschaft, 3-2026, S. 52-67.
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Titel: Radio silence: Gender in the rhetoric of Ursula von der Leyen’s second term
Ausgabe: Jg. 18, Nr. 3-2026: Feminism in politics – politics in feminism