Editing Office - Geneva

Policymakers can now benefit from several new resources published on EIGE’s Gender Mainstreaming platform. EIGE has developed a detailed guide to help EU institutions and governmental bodies incorporate a gender perspective into each stage of the policy cycle.

 “When designing policies that will affect large groups of people, it is important to bear in mind that they will have a different impact depending on people’s situation. Our gender mainstreaming methods and tools are designed to help policymakers ensure women and men’s diverse needs are made visible and addressed by those legislating in their behalf,” said Barbara Limanowska, EIGE Gender Mainstreaming Programme Coordinator. EIGE’s four new briefing papers provide detailed explanations of gender mainstreaming methods and tools: Gender analysis: looks at the current situation of women and men in society through the collection of data and tries to find out the reasons behind existing inequalities. This includes an examination of the allocation of resources between women and men and the different barriers they face in their everyday lives. Gender planning: recognises that women and men have different needs and that policies and budgets should to be planned accordingly. For example rectifying the fact that the public transport routes most commonly taken by women are often the most unreliable and most likely to be discontinued. Gender stakeholder consultation: puts citizens at the heart of policymaking through getting their input into legislation. Hearing first-hand how policies impact women and men differently helps policymakers design gender-sensitive legislation and enhances accountability. Gender awareness raising: uses evidence to build public support and political will for gender-equality initiatives. For example highlighting the fact that improving gender equality in the EU could lead to an increase in GDP of up to €3.15 trillion by 2050. EIGE’s Gender Mainstreaming Platform has been designed to help policymakers address the different needs of women and men in their work. From collecting sex-disaggregated data to building political support for gender equality initiatives, EIGE explains what gender mainstreaming is and how it can help build a more equal society. This includes 15 methods and tools which offer clear guidance on how to integrate gender through the content of policies and increase women’s representation in different areas of society.