How to include gender equality in public policy

This article is written by Violeta Colman, MA in Public Policy, Lawyer. Violeta is a specialist in public policy, gender and human rights. Violeta is also Cofounder of the Consultorio Jurídico Feminista in Paraguay and Consultant for the Organization of American States.

• The problem: Commitments to gender equality in public policy can end up in the abstract and not be implemented.
• Why it matters: Evidence demonstrates that reducing gender inequality and tackling discrimination in every field will contribute to overall better and long-lasting outcomes.
• The solution: Practical actions to include feminist voices.

The call for gender equality efforts in policymaking comes from institutional mandates, donors, and society. It has become part of our day-to-day work, from how we communicate with the public to the planning, monitoring and evaluation of projects. And why would we expect this to be different? After all, there is already enough evidence from institutions such as the UN or the World Bank to demonstrate that reducing gender inequality and tackling discrimination in every field will contribute to overall better and long-lasting outcomes. From strengthening democratic institutions to combating climate change, investing in women's leadership in all their diversity should do the work, right?

The short answer is yes but when we start drafting plans to do this in a practical manner, it can feel overwhelming and even unattainable at times. We want to make sure that our efforts will be part of creating change, to have an impact, and have gender-responsive programmes and projects. At the same time, we have deadlines to meet and results to deliver, so we have to find practical solutions to move our commitments from paper to action. Here is where three key elements can help policymakers: strategic communication, everyday technology and the inclusion of feminist civil society.

As a group of gender specialists, we knew that women and girls are affected in a different way by any crisis.

Back in 2020, the pandemic disrupted the ways of working that my team at an international organisation had for decades. There was a need to navigate this sudden change with creativity to keep moving forward, and the online work provided the answer with positive and unexpected outcomes that surpassed our expectations. As a group of gender specialists, we knew that women and girls are affected in a different way by any crisis. Still, it was necessary to hear what they had to say to incorporate their expertise in a respectful and inclusive way. To do so we followed these three steps:

1. Identify feminist organisations: This is crucial, it’s not enough to do a mapping exercise looking for civil society groups that are related to your project or initiative. Dig deeper and aim at organised movements and activists who have a feminist and intersectional vision and mission in your city, country, or region. Make a spreadsheet and write down their field of action, such as women's political participation, environmental issues, or security. Update your database regularly and diversify your contacts to include smaller organisations out of the mainstream. Actively include representatives from marginalised groups and feminist collectives with less representation.

2. Plan your communications and initiate contact: You can do this at any stage of your project but it's better to do it from the planning phase, to understand better the scope of the problem you and your team are trying to address. Don't take too long to contact the organisations you have identified but do it with a purpose and an agenda. Draft a short questionnaire or guidelines for a consultative meeting, keep it simple, to the point and consider the necessary accommodations for people with disabilities. Set up a meeting date, prepare your online meeting with the platform of your preference (or in person if the resources are available), and circulate the invitations including the questions you will be exploring and explaining the purpose of it. Again, simplicity and clarity in your objectives and communications will be fundamental for success.

3. Listen, analyse the information, and follow up: During the meeting, guide the conversation to include all of the participants, take notes, and be curious. In the same way, remember to be respectful of the time and effort being offered to your team because the work of feminist activists should be seen as what it is, labour (as we say in Latin America, that thing people call love is unpaid labour). Afterwards, identify and analyse the information you are collecting and circulate the conclusions to the participants to make sure they’re in line with their perspectives. Include this in all the streams of your work, from knowledge production to project planning and implementation. Give credit to the organisations that participated in this work and celebrate their contributions.

These three steps should be part of a constant dialogue and be sure, it will make a difference. Strong feminist organisations have vast experience, collective practices, and specialised knowledge to learn from. They have been actors of change around the globe and have the capacity to dynamise public policy to make it more inclusive and just. In the same way, policymakers can support and strengthen these organisations by offering a respectful platform to voice their concerns and claims. The need to include gender equality in public policy is a pretty straightforward idea that requires making room for feminist activists and collectives to succeed.

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