Equally Free: Gender (Gaps) in EU Free Movement Law (eFree)
eFree examines how the legal system protects men and women differently by analysing conflicts in cases of EU free movement law
All EU citizens have formal equal rights to live, work, study and retire across the EU. However, free mobility reinforces gender inequalities in employment, pay and care. Migrant women make use of the right to free movement less often than men and are disproportionately involved in legal proceedings as spouses or carers, while men dominate disputes over work-related rights.
eFree examines how universal rights can result in inequality by analysing conflicts in free movement cases in the EU. The project looks at how the legal system protects men and women differently and how equal rights can lead to unequal conditions. By focusing on concrete conflicts rather than abstract rules, the project provides a new understanding of how EU free movement can limit equality.
The project contributes to research in three areas:
- First, it places gender at the centre of the right to free movement and connects internal market rules, EU citizenship rights and anti-discrimination in new ways that are under-exposed in existing research.
- Second, it challenges the assumption that EU law primarily responds to societal needs, showing how institutional logics, bureaucratic incentives and lobbying shape policies and rules.
- Third, the project combines critical legal analysis with a systematic investigation of patterns and attitudes towards gender to expose inequalities and gather solid empirical evidence.
Researchers
| Name | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Urska Sadl | Associate Professor |
|
Funded by:
eFree has received 6.3mil DKK funding from DFF.
Project: Equally Free: Gender (Gaps) in EU Free Movement Law (eFree)
Period: 2026
Contact
| Name | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Urska Sadl | Associate Professor |
|
External members:
| Name | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Emilia Korkea-aho | Professor | emilia.korkea-aho@uef.fi |
| Raphaële Xenidis | Assistant professor | raphaele.xenidis@sciencespo.fr |