Institutionalizing Gender Mainstreaming

4 steps to creating a gender-responsive organizational culture

Gender mainstreaming ensures that women as well as men's concerns and experiences are integral to the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of all legislation, policies and programmes so that they both benefit equally and inequality is not perpetuated. Fundamental to institutionalizing gender is creating a gender-responsive organizational culture. This is a culture in which everyone responds positively to the organization's requirement that they actively demonstrate their commitment to advance gender equality in their daily work and in their interaction with others. As noted in Step 4, organizations and the people in them need to live their commitment to gender equality. Before an organization's staff can genuinely facilitate others to integrate a gender perspective into their work, they must demonstrate that they do this themselves.

Step 1: Sex disaggregated data and gender analytical information

Sex disaggregated statistical data and gender analytical research are essential to effective gender mainstreaming. Information systems should routinely be disaggregated by sex; gender analytical studies should be commissioned to identify gender difference and inequality and to monitor the differential impact of policy, project and budget commitments on women and men.

Step 2: Women as well as men influencing the development agenda

Women will only win equality when they are able to act on their own behalf and are involved in decision-making at all levels.

Step 3: Context-specific action to promote gender equality

Gender mainstreaming is a strategy to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women. Action to promote greater equality of influence, opportunities and benefits should be devised on the basis of context-specific sex disaggregated data and gender analytical information and a clear understanding of women's and men's priorities.

Step 4: Organizational capacity building and change

Gender mainstreaming, as an organizational strategy to promote gender equality, depends on the skills, knowledge and commitment of the staff involved in management and implementation. Appropriate capacity-building activities need to be explicitly included in policy and project documents and frameworks, backed up with staff and budgets, and monitored and reviewed through appropriate indicators of change.

Source: Gender Manual: A Practical Guide for Development Policy Makers and Practitioners, DFID, April 2002