Eliminating inequality in all aspects of public life remains a key issue in today’s politics. Although progress has been made in the areas of employment, social affairs and education, there are still a number of issues to be resolved, such as the the pay gap or the glass ceiling, which remain deeply rooted in business environments. Gender mainstreaming is a concept that has emerged to encompass all the policy strategies that promote the equality between men and women.
Would you like to find out more about gender mainstreaming and gender mainstreaming across all policy areas? Find out all about it in this post!
What is gender mainstreaming?
Gender mainstreaming is a strategy aimed at incorporating the gender mainstreaming across the various sectors in which public policies are implemented. The main objective is to ensure that both genders are equally integrated, with the same standing and level of participation, in the management and decision-making processes carried out by public administrations.
Furthermore, gender mainstreaming aims not only to ensure that all genders participate equally in political life, but also to introduce legislation that promotes equal opportunities and treatment in all areas where public services are involved.
The origins of gender mainstreaming or gender mainstreaming
Although gender mainstreaming is currently being promoted and is gaining prominence in all areas of society, the truth is that this concept is not new.
The first time he was mentioned was in the Third UN World Conference on Women in Nairobi in 1985, and would reappear at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995. This approach to public policy-making was adopted by the EU in the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1999, which formalised the commitment to gender equality.
What are the objectives of gender mainstreaming?
Gender mainstreaming pursues an overarching goal, which is to achieve equality in all policies and public aspects of society; to this end, the following intermediate steps must be addressed:
- Take steps to to break down stereotypes and gender-based discrimination.
- Incorporate the gender perspective in all policies, programmes and actions; recognising existing differences and inequalities and examining how these may affect each individual.
- Raising public awareness on gender inequalities and discrimination, promoting greater awareness and understanding of the challenges faced by women and men in different contexts.
- To ensure the equal participation of women and menin all areas of society, including political, economic and social decision-making, as well as representation in positions of power and leadership.
- To challenge the most archaic and deeply entrenched social structures, beliefs and norms with new ideas.
What are the key actors in a gender mainstreaming strategy?
For a plan based on gender mainstreaming to achieve the desired success, it is important to focus on the key actors who drive and implement it, as it is they who lay the foundations on which every action will be based.
- Firstly, everyone working in the public policy sector must be committed to and have a strong conviction regarding equality. This will foster a a critical view of the current situation, and will make it possible to identify instances of inequality.
- Once these have been identified, the next step is to incorporate proposals for equality on all public bodies’ agendas And, once these initiatives have been put forward, it will be very important to devise a specific methodology for implementing them.
- To ensure that the whole team is working towards the same goal, every member of staff involved in the development of the public sector or public services, must play their part in the agreed strategy.
New laws promoting gender mainstreaming in public life
Over the last decade, a number of regulations and laws have been introduced that promote gender mainstreaming and recognise sexual freedom and freedom of expression, not just for each group, but for each individual. Some of the most significant of these have been:
- Law 4/2023 of 28 February on genuine and effective equality for transgender people and on safeguarding the rights of LGBTI people.
- Law 7/2023 of 20 April on effective equality between women and men in La Rioja.
- Organic Law 3/2020 of 29 December, amending Organic Law 2/2006 of 3 May on Education.
- Royal Decree 455/2020 of 10 March, setting out the basic organisational structure of the Ministry of Equality.
- Royal Decree-Law 12/2020 of 31 March on urgent measures relating to the protection and support of victims of gender-based violence.
- Order IGD/577/2020, of 24 June, establishing the Council for the Participation of Lesbian, Gay, Trans, Bisexual and Intersex (LGTBI) People and regulating its operation.
- Royal Decree 902/2020 of 13 October on equal pay for women and men.
- Organic Law 10/2022 of 6 September on the comprehensive protection of sexual freedom.
As you can see, equality is a key issue that concerns everyone who wishes to a more developed, capable and fair society. If you’d like to find out more about gender equality and apply it to the workplace – we look forward to welcoming you to Educa.Pro, where we offer corporate training courses specialising in this and many other vital subjects.
