ABSTRACT
If people want to call ourselves Europeans, people should be aware that this cannot mean adopting any old form of identity. Other identifications with Europe are possible; new generations will have other ways of founding, understanding and giving meaning to their investments in identification. Surveys and studies show that a gender gap exists in public support for the European Union and that it emerges particularly in countries where the European Union is perceived as depriving women of their social and political achievements. The new investment in Europeanness does not claim the immediate right to self-recognition, but rather proposes and from exchange with others awaits recognition of that which is specific and that which is shared. It does not begin with an opposition to others, but with a desire to call oneself European, charging the term with meanings based on one's own needs.
