Administrative legacies in policy enactment: The bureaucratization of gender equality in higher education

This article explores how administrative tradition mediates the enactment of gender equality policies within higher education institutions. Drawing on policy enactment theory and historical institutionalism, it analyses how institutional dynamics shaped by the Napoleonic administrative tradition influence the translation of policy mandates into practice in the context of Catalonia. The study employs qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with university actors, a content analysis of course syllabi, and an examination of institutional policy documents. The findings reveal that policy enactment is shaped by bureaucratic processes that prioritize formal compliance over substantive engagement, resulting in what we term the “bureaucratization of the gender perspective.” This phenomenon manifests in three key ways: the rigid formulation of institutional guidelines, the tokenistic inclusion of gender-related elements in course documentation, and the persistent gap between formal mandates and classroom practices. The study concludes that while formal frameworks can legitimize feminist efforts within universities, they also risk reducing gender equality to a superficial exercise in regulatory compliance. These findings contribute to ongoing debates about the limits of institutional reforms in fostering substantive cultural and pedagogical change, particularly in contexts where governance is marked by procedural uniformity and legal formalism.