Navigating Resistance: Analysing the Complex Dynamics of Resistance in Gender Equality Policy Implementation in Universities

Abstract

While resistance to gender equality policies across institutions has received considerable scholarly attention, the study of resistance to specific themes of gender equality, such as gender‐based violence (GBV), has gained significant momentum only over the last decade, especially in Central and Eastern European countries. This article analyses the development and implementation of gender equality plans (GEPs) with measures against GBV in higher education institutions (HEIs). It examines the strategies applied by institutions to develop or modify institutional policies and procedures to monitor, prevent, and address GBV, and the resistances encountered during these processes in the socio‐political context of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Empirically, the article is based on an analysis of institutional policies and the process of developing roadmaps for devising and implementing GEPs in eight sport HEIs in CEE. Theoretically, it situates resistance as acts of opposition and the implementation of gender equality policies as a result of power struggles between status quo and gender equality actors. Moreover, the article identifies forms of resistance and counteractions that hinder and drive gender equality reform in HEIs and proposes key initiatives and strategic priorities to support institutional change.