Abstract
Romani women face unique challenges in accessing political opportunities, shaped by the intersection of gender, ethnicity, and structural inequalities. By examining Italy, Croatia, and Sweden, this study provides comparative insights into the specific barriers and drivers that affect Romani women’s political participation, contributing to broader discussions on minority rights and gender inequality. The study addresses two key research questions: first, what political opportunities exist for Romani women in these countries? Second, how do the intersections of structural and individual factors influence their access to and use of these political opportunities? This paper investigates the political participation of Romani women using an intersectional lens, with Political Opportunity Theory as the guiding theoretical framework.
The research employs a qualitative approach, triangulating data from reports by associations, NGOs, national and EU documents, particularly national Roma Inclusion Strategies. Additionally, 30 semi-structured interviews were conducted with both Romani and non-Romani experts, including politically active Romani women. The findings indicate that structural barriers, especially antigypsyism, intersect with factors such as socioeconomic background, family status, and internal power dynamics within the Romani community to limit political participation. Formal opportunities, such as those linked to the recognition of Roma as a national minority, are often controlled by men, leaving Romani women with fewer avenues for formal political engagement. Despite these challenges, Romani women are actively engaged at the local level in all three countries, playing key roles in community projects and in the creation of new political opportunities. These findings underline the importance of recognizing the complex interactions between structural and individual factors that shape the political landscape for Romani women.