Sexual and reproductive rights on the Flemish political agenda
A Case Study of Menstrual Health
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3665520 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Anneleen De Cuyper (0000-0001-9686-7132, University of Antwerp, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Pages | 1-21 |
| Publication date | 2025-07-10 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Gender Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0958-9236 • E-ISSN: 1465-3869 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/09589236.2025.2529990 |
| OpenAlex | W4412159984 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 48 |
In recent years, there has been a rise in political polarisation globally, with the far-right movement in Europe threatening gender equality and the rights of minoritised communities. This article applied an intersectional framework to analyse political discourses in Flanders surrounding one of the most polarising issues today: sexual and reproductive health and rights, with a specific focus on menstrual health. Through critical discourse analysis of elite interviews, parliamentary meetings, and election programmes of Flemish political parties, the study examined how these narratives reinforce or challenge power structures and inequality. Results indicated that, while the three most left-wing parties incorporated elements of menstrual activism – such as existing shame and taboo surrounding menstruation; the individual mental, social and physical health risks related to poor menstrual health; and the underlying gender inequality – they failed to consider intersectional, structural inequalities in the prevalence and form of period poverty. In contrast, the four most right-wing parties adopted a neoliberal stance, opposing government funding and emphasising individual responsibility. Moreover, the findings show discursive changes across time, indicating a polarisation on gender-related topics like menstrual health
Flemish · Geography · Political science · Politics · Population · Reproductive health · Reproductive rights · Sociology · Demography · Feminist Theory and Gender Studies · Gender Studies · Historical Studies on Reproduction, Gender, Health, and Societal Changes · Law · Reproductive Health and Contraception
How to Do Critical Discourse Analysis
What is Political Discourse Analysis?
A Time for Global Action
Paradoxical Right-Wing Sexual Politics in Europe
Varieties of Opposition to Gender Equality in Europe
Gender Inequality and Welfare States in Europe
Where feminists dare
Menstrual Capitalism, Period Poverty, and the Role of the B Corporation
Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex
Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex
Seeing the colour red
Understanding Period Poverty
The future of polarisation in Europe
Challenges to a Rights-Based Approach in Sexual Health Policy
Discourse coalitions against gender and sexual equality
Say no to shame, waste, inequality—and leaks! Menstrual activism in the market for alternative period products
Periods of austerity
Period politics and policy change
Revitalizing feminist politics of solidarity in the age of anti-genderism
How Sexual and Reproductive Rights Can Divide and Unite
We are Sweden Democrats because we care for others
Discourse and Text
Extremely Private and Incredibly Public – Free Menstrual Products and the “Problem” of Menstruation in the Finnish Public Discourse
Reframing the language of human rights? Political group contestations on women’s and LGBTQI rights in European Parliament debates
Our Revolution Has Style”
Saving and reproducing the nation
Power in elite interviewing
La biomedicalización de las vidas de las mujeres
Funding Anti‐Gender Politics in Europe
Disentangling and Locating the “Global Right
Who’s the Real Feminist? Feminist Discursive Boundary Making in the Context of Anti-Gender Campaigns
Interviewing Elites
Intersectionality
Practicing Intersectionality in Sociological Research
From Bloodless Respectability to Radical Menstrual Embodiment
The state, gender, and sexual politics
| Highly cited | No |
|---|