5 Steps to Develop a Gender Policy – Also Known as Gender-Responsive Policy

Gender policy, gender-responsive policy, gender focused policy or gender aware policy are policies that are developed across the world by national governments, international organizations, and private companies to achieve gender equality.

To accomplish the desired goal different gender analysis frameworks are used by institutions and countries. However, in this blog post, we will focus on a gender-mainstreaming strategy to develop gender policy or gender focused policy.

The article unfolds the process of promoting gender equality through gender mainstreaming in policies and programs. That is achieved by conducting gender analysis, including gender-balanced representation, collecting gender-disaggregated data, and adopting gender-responsive budgeting.

The central question that arises in the mind of an ordinary person is

• What is meant by gender equality or gender inequality?
• Why do we need gender equality?
• How can we achieve gender equality?
• Consequently, why do we need gender-aware policy, gender policy, or gender-equality policy?

In this blog post, you will learn answers to the questions stated above.

You might be interested in reading What is the relationship between Gender and Policy? An introduction

What is Gender Inequality?

First, let’s unfold the meaning of gender inequality in simple terms.

Gender inequality is a social attitude as well as an institutional approach that results in discrimination on the basis of a person’s sex or gender.

Despite gender and sex, a person’s race, religion, social status, color, or any disability can be a reason for discrimination.

The European Institute for Gender Equality defines gender disparity as a “legal, social and cultural situation in which sex and/or gender determine different rights and dignity for women and men, which are reflected in their unequal access to or enjoyment of rights, as well as the assumption of stereotyped social and cultural roles” (European Institute for Gender Equality, 2023).

It means that gender inequality is an approach that makes a woman or a man less important in a family or society.

Usually, women face discrimination. They are restricted from getting education, applying for a job, getting health care facilities, enjoying freedom, and making decisions of their lives.

This discrimination can be social, cultural or legal. There can be laws in a country that can hinder women or less privileged people. Hence they become victims of gender inequality or gender discrimination.

On the contrary, gender equality is an approach that treats all women, men, girls, boys, and nonbinary people equally.

Everyone has equal rights and opportunities and everyone enjoys freedom regardless of their race, age, gender, income, and abilities.

Why do we need Gender Equality?

Gender equality is necessary to promote human rights and sustainable development in a society or country.

Whereas, gender inequality is a reason that promotes unequal representation of women and men in parliaments.

This leads to biased political representation and participation of gender identities in the process of policymaking and decision-making.

Consequently, women and other nonbinary people may face discrimination to exercise equal rights in society.

Therefore, societies that don’t support gender equality tend to hinder prosperity and economic development.

How can we Achieve Gender Equality?

Gender inequality is evident and it can’t be resolved by focusing only on women. But societies that value women, men, and nonbinary people as equal are inclined towards gender equality.

Follower by the relations between men and women concerning the division of labor, access to and control over resources, and decision-making is mandatory in eliminating inequalities in a society.

Gender equality in a society can be achieved by adopting a gender-aware policy.

These policies can be embedded in the institutional structures and processes of public policies that promote gender-sensitive norms and practices.

Steps to Achieve Gender Policy through Gender Mainstreaming

There is no single strategy, formula, or blueprint that can be applied to integrate gender into policies and programs.

Some strategies can be tailored and adopted. Among them, gender mainstreaming is a common approach that is most widely used to achieve gender equality in public policies.

The use of gender mainstreaming in the process of policy development ensures the integration of gender-related issues.

This concept has been embraced and adopted by international organizations such as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the United Nations, the European Union, etc (DALY, 2002).

Developing gender-sensitive policies through mainstreaming in all sectors of development is a concern for gender equality. That is brought into the ‘mainstream’ of activities rather than dealt with as an ‘add-on’ (United Nations, 2002).

To integrate gender perspective in public policies a brief overview of elements of the mainstreaming strategy is discussed below.

Prerequisites to Achieve Gender Policies

Before diving into the steps that guide you to develop a strategic plan to mainstream gender into policies some fundamentals must be met.

Firstly, governments or private organizations should have a clear vision for gender equality that is embedded in the key documents and policy frameworks.

Secondly, before designing and adopting gender mainstreaming the authorities must have a clear assessment of where it stands concerning its goals for gender equality.

Followed by what interventions are necessary to achieve its vision (OECD, 2023).

Lastly, governmental institutions should develop a clear framework that ensures effective and sustainable implementation of gender mainstreaming strategies.

This can be accomplished by providing clear roles and responsibilities, conducting audits, developing evaluation mechanisms on gender-disaggregated data, and allocating sufficient resources at all levels.

The following steps should be considered while adopting a gender mainstreaming strategy.

1. Formulating the Policy Question

The first step in this gender mainstreaming guide is to identify the problem that needs to be addressed. This can be achieved by defining the purpose and objective of the policy or program. Key points to consider while formulating the policy question are:

• What is the need for the policy?
• How does the policy initiative address the problem?
• How will the policy impact gender equality or gender inequality?
• How does the policy problem complement the gender equality objectives?

It is important to note that good policies always consider all the stakeholders (binary and nonbinary people) that can be directly or indirectly influenced by the policies.

2. Conducting Gender Analysis

After formulating the policy question, the second step of incorporating gender mainstreaming is to understand and conduct the impact assessment of policies and programs on individuals or the target group (for whom the policy or program is developed).

The impact of a policy or program can be different for women, men, and nonbinary people. It may also directly or indirectly influence either gender.

Gender mainstreaming strategies should be considered with their outcomes, broadly, on economic development, empowerment, poverty reduction, access to resources, and sustainability.

This can be achieved by incorporating and assessing gender perspectives at different levels in the policy process.

Gender anaylsis or gender impact assessment is defined by the European Commission as,

“… the process of comparing and assessing, according to gender-relevant criteria, the current situation and trend with the expected development resulting from the introduction of the proposed policy”.

(European Commission, 1997). 

For effective policies and programs, gender perspectives should preferably be included from the initial stage of planning and should be followed in the rest of the stages from decision-making to implementation and evaluation.

3. Gender-Disaggregated Data

Individual data on men, women, and other gender identities is crucial to understand social problems in depth.

Despite planning, designing, and implementing; gathering gender-disaggregated data is vital in assessing the impact of the implemented policy or program.

In any policy or program, data and information should be gathered about the existing situation of men and women as well as how the policy or program will change the position of different gender identities.

4. Gender-Balanced Representation

The process of gender mainstreaming in policies and programs is incomplete without the representation of all relevant binary and nonbinary stakeholders.

Equal representation of men and women in the process ensures equal opportunities for all gender identities. It also ensures that voices of all sexes have been considered in the designing of policies and programs.

Gender-balanced representation can be ensured by encouraging women and other gender identities to actively participate in political positions by introducing gender equality initiatives.

This can be achieved by introducing a quota system at different levels in organizational structures.

Societal structures or social norms that promote inequalities (such as patriarchy, sexism, lack of access to resources, etc…) should not be ignored in this process.

To promote gender equality policymakers should consider such barriers while developing policies in all the facets of society – including education, health, employment, environment, and political participation.

5. Gender-Responsive Budgeting

Gender-responsive budgets incorporate a gender perspective at all the levels of the budgetary process. It organizes revenues and expenditures to promote gender equality.

The use of gender budgeting helps in integrating gender perspectives at all the stages of the budget cycle from the process of planning to allocation, execution, and evaluation.

Adding gender budgeting in the process of policy-making ensures that policies are funded to meet gender-specific needs.

This strategy is also useful to identify the gender gap and promote gender equality in the long run.

Mistakes to Avoid When Developing a Gender Focused Policy

• Developing very specific goals that don’t align with the larger picture or goal of gender equality
• Building a strategy that is too focused on theories and doesn’t support gender equality
• Establishing a strategy that contradicts the core governmental or institutional vision or policies
• Policymakers have limited understanding or lack a clear understanding of the gender equality vision and goals
• Decision-makers or policymakers fail to evaluate the crosscutting impact of policies or programs on different gender identities and do not consult the potential stakeholders

If you find this information valuable, you can support us and buy us a coffee!

Concluding Remarks

Policymakers should be well aware and educated about the concepts and issues related to gender equality. They should have the capacity to foster the impact of purposed gender policy on individuals in different spheres of life.

Hence, systematically conducting gender analysis to understand the needs and challenges of women and minorities through the whole process of policy-making is crucial.

Women and other gender identities should be actively engaged in the process of policy development. Focus on structural or societal norms, values, and barriers that are often ignored tend to hinder women’s participation.

Special attention and resources should be allocated to collect gender-disaggregated data.

This type of data is vital to analyze the impact of the intervention made through policies or programs. It also plays a vital role in planning future policies that promote gender equality.

FAQ

What is Gender Inequality?

Gender inequality is discriminating against a woman, man or a non-binary person on the basis of their sex, gender, class, religion, age, disability or ethnicity.

What are the steps to achieve a gender-responsive policy?

There are five steps that leads to gender equality;

1. Formulating the Policy Question
2. Conducting Gender Analysis
3. Gender-Disaggregated Data
4. Gender-Balanced Representation
5. Gender-Responsive Budgeting

How can we achieve gender equality?

Gender equality in a society can be achieved by adopting gender-sensitive norms and practices i.e. addressing the needs of binary and nonbinary people. These practices can be embedded in the institutional structures and processes of public policies.

Acknowledgement:

This document is an inspiration and expansion of the work published by;

• Toolkit For Mainstreaming And Implementing Gender Equality (OECD, 2023)
• Gender Mainstreaming Toolkit (European Institute for Gender Equality, 2017)
• Gender Inclusive Policy Making (Srinivas, 2023)
• Public Policies on Gender Equality (Parejo & Radulović, 2023)
• Gender Mainstreaming: An Overview (United Nations, 2002)

References

DALY, M. (2002). Gender Mainstreaming in Theory and Practice. 433-450.

European Commission. (1997). A guide to gender impact assessment. Belgium: EU Publications.

European Institute for Gender Equality. (2017). Gender Impact Assessment. Retrieved August 19, 2023.

European Institute for Gender Equality. (2023). Gender inequality. Retrieved August 22, 2023.

OECD. (2023). Toolkit for Mainstreaming and Implementing Gender Equality 2023. Paris: OECD Publishing.

Parejo, V. H., & Radulović, B. (2023). Public Policies on Gender Equality. In Gender-Competent Legal Education (pp. 406-425). Springer.

Srinivas, H. (2023). Gender Inclusive Policy Making. GDRC. Retrieved October 23, 2023.

United Nations. (2002). Gender Mainstreaming: An Overview. New York. Retrieved August 12, 2023.