CIVICUS Better Planning and Communication Toolkits Campaigning Toolkit for Civil Society Organisations engaged in Millennium Development Goals Gender Toolkits Websites with a Gender Focus Potentials (and Pitfalls) of Gender Mainstreaming By Julie Middleton , member of CIVICUS Gender Task Force
Gender mainstreaming. It’s a phrase that is often used in development work and civil society organisations. International organisations and agencies - such as the United Nations, the World Bank and the International Labour Organisation (ILO), among others - all have gender mainstreaming policies.
Despite efforts by both large and small organisations, however, observers argue that the concept is not always fully understood nor properly implemented. It has become fashionable to speak about gender mainstreaming an organisation, without undertaking the nece ss ary steps to ensure it is sustainable and has real practical effects. Gender mainstreaming is a strategy and a tool, emphasise practitioners, not an end in itself.
The idea of integrating gender issues and perspectives into the “mainstream” of society was first articulated as a global strategy in the Platform for Action adopted at the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing ( China ) in 1995. The Platform urged organisations and states to ensure that gender equality is sought in all areas of social and economic development.
In July 1997, the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) defined the concept of gender mainstreaming as follows:
"Mainstreaming a gender perspective is the process of assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action, including legislation, policies or programmes, in any area and at all levels. It is a strategy for making the concerns and experiences of women as well as of men an integral part of the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes in all political, economic and societal spheres, so that women and men benefit equally, and inequality is not perpetuated. The ultimate goal of mainstreaming is to achieve gender equality."
Instead of having segregated activities for women or targeted interventions to promote women’s empowerment, mainstreaming infuses consideration of women’s issues and gender equality into all policy development, research, advocacy, legislation, resource allocation, planning, implementation and monitoring of programmes and projects. This way, even those organisations that do not run gender-specific programming, can still ensure their current projects are gender sensitive. The intent is “transformative” – where all facets of an organisation integrate gender concerns.
Results of gender mainstreaming, however, have been mixed. In a 2004 AWID (Association for Women’s Rights in Development) newsletter, gender activists debated the potentials and pitfalls of the strategy, asking whether it can really bring about meaningful institutional and policy changes that protect women’s rights. One of the authors, Joanne Sandler of UNIFEM, stated that despite differing opinions, almost all experts in the field would argue that:
“It only works when there is unswerving commitment of leadership, accountability mechanisms are in place, and the right gender expertise is available at the right time to align policies and practices with commitments to achieving gender equality.”
This International Women’s Day comes at a time when CIVICUS is embarking upon its own gender mainstreaming, as well as reflecting on the discussions around the process itself. As some readers may recall, CIVICUS developed and adopted a gender equality policy paper in October 2005. The paper was the result of a formal a ss e ss ment of the (implicit) level of gender equality policy within CIVICUS programmes and management.
In particular, in terms of CIVICUS programmes, the gender policy recommended: “Instead of directing programme benefits at a gender neutral ‘citizen’, programmes will instead always identify the differential location and problems of different gender groups. Moreover, issues of structural and institutionalised gender discrimination will be taken into account in formulating the goals and activities for a particular programme.”
Shortly after, a Gender Task Force was formed to discuss mainstreaming gender within CIVICUS. While the Gender Task Force acknowledged the current wealth of knowledge amongst both CIVICUS’ staff and members regarding gender issues, it felt that it would be useful to bring in an outside consultant to advise on the current situation as well as future potential. CIVICUS is now in the process of hiring a consultant to guide the mainstreaming process, as well as conduct trainings with both management and staff on how the organisation can be more sensitive towards issues of gender equality and representation.
The Gender Task Force and CIVICUS as a whole are enthusiastic about the process, but also mindful of both the “potentials” and “pitfalls” mentioned earlier. CIVICUS is committed to ensuring that it is sustainable, practical and makes a positive impact on our work. We will be sure to keep the e-civicus readership updated and involved in this important process.
We welcome your thoughts on gender mainstreaming and invite you to share your own experiences with us - feel free to comment on the CIVICUS Blog.
Resources
CIVICUS Gender Equality Policy
AWID. 2004. Gender Mainstreaming: Can it Work for Women’s Rights?
Top
