Europe's Androcentric Default: A Critical Comparison of Systematic Gender Exclusion in Europe Against More Accommodative Societies

R Rajesh

Abstract: Europe possesses the most legally elaborated gender-equality framework of any world region, yet it remains structurally androcentric and is being outperformed on hard parity indicators by societies it has historically patronized. Rwanda (63.8% women in its lower house), Cuba (55.7%), Bolivia (53%), and New Zealand (suffrage in 1893) demonstrate that democratic parity is achievable outside the European model; the eight countries that have crossed the 50% threshold in women's parliamentary representation include four in Latin America, one in Africa, and zero in the European Union. The 2024 regression in the European Parliament (from 41% to 38.6% women), the missed June 2026 deadline for the Pay Transparency Directive, and the persistence of a one-in-three lifetime violence rate against EU women confirm that Europe's androcentrism is path-dependent, not residual. This review recommends Europe's framework only for jurisdictions prepared to combine its legal scaffolding with constitutional parity quotas, fully non-transferable parental leave, and active epistemic recovery of women's historical contributions. It does not fit actors seeking rapid, durable parity; those actors should look to Rwanda, Bolivia, and the Nordic top-three for transferable design principles.

Keywords: Androcentrism, Systematic exclusion, Gender exclusion, Patriarchy patriarchal structures, Symbolic violence, Path dependence

How to Cite?: R Rajesh, "Europe's Androcentric Default: A Critical Comparison of Systematic Gender Exclusion in Europe Against More Accommodative Societies", Volume 15 Issue 8, August 2026, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 116-129, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=SR26730005116, DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21275/SR26730005116

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