At the Lisbon Council in 2000, the European Union (EU) committed itself to the 10-year strategic goal of becoming the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world, capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and social cohesion, including gender equality. There are, however, clear indications that the transition towards the knowledge-based economy increases the risk of social exclusion, as more people now face difficulties in attaining and remaining in secure and well-paid jobs. Moreover, progress towards gender equality has been slow, and gender gaps remain substantial across the EU. The EU has urged the member states to tackle these risks and gaps by modernising the European Social Model (ESM). The EU's main modes of intervention in the member states to tackle gender gaps are directives and, increasingly, the European Employment Strategy (EES). However, several social models exist in the member states and these have facilitated differing balances of employment, job quality and social equality. The reference to a single social model, or to the ESM, when many models are actually present within the community, signals a growing interest on the part of the EU to pressure the member states into convergence not only in the economic but also in the social sphere. However, the EU has limited power to intervene in the social sphere at the member state level, so that the outcomes of its efforts to achieve, for example, gender equality are path-dependent or influenced by national actors and different welfare state models.

This chapter will analyse how the EU has sought to create a regulation paradigm or an ESM in order to pressure the member states to tackle gender (in)equalities more effectively. This regulation paradigm involves, on the one hand, hard measures, such as legally binding directives, and, on the other hand, soft measures or guidelines and recommendations, such as the EES. The aim of this chapter is to identify the potentials and limitations of the EU's regulation mechanism or the ESM in achieving the goal of gender equality. Moreover, it will examine the extent to which this regulation paradigm in the EU15 member states is transforming gender relations.