Sorority as an instrument of equality in Private international law

Gender perspective in Private International Law can be claimed through the so-called “sorority”: solidarity between women against sexual discrimination. Sorority as an instrument of equal rights. Private International Law can become an ethical tool to fight for solidarity and against such phenomena as misogyny and sexism, among others. Several topics such as the application of Islamic law by some national authorities, child abduction in cases of gender violence or transnational surrogacy, among others, show how this discipline can be an instrument to promote equal rights for women and how sorority can reinforce this equality. So, there is a reciprocal influence between all of them.

Rosario Espinosa Calabuig is Professor of Private International Law at the University of Valencia. Her research focus on several issues of international family law (child abduction, adoption, gender) as well as international trade law (maritime transport, arrest of ships, unfair competition). She is the author of books and articles on the aforementioned topics, as well as co-author of books and manuals published inside and outside Spain (Europe and Latin America). Professor Espinosa Calabuig is an active member of numerous interdisciplinary research groups and networks, national and international and she is currently Executive Director of the Revista General de Derecho Europeo.