Annex 1:
How policy-makers can include women
- Women’s issues and gendered interests must be treated as important
citizenship rights and valued as such by policy-makers. Issues that are
“left out” of citizenship rights – such as safety in the home, childcare
and sexuality − need to be addressed and given public and/or
institutional solutions.
- Including these issues in policy must not limit or stereotype
women’s roles and ghettoise development assistance to women in sectors
such as health and education. Women’s roles in all areas of life must be
acknowledged in all policies. This will involve acknowledging non-typical
and changing gender roles and questioning cultural norms regarding
families and households.
- Gender mainstreaming can promote the rights of women in all areas
of policy, even in those that are supposedly “gender neutral”. Gender
mainstreaming requires resources, institutional commitment and
cross-institutional training. Gender budgeting can provide the tools by
which women’s concerns and a commitment to gender equality can be made
concrete in all areas of policy.\
- In addition to mainstreaming, specific targeted interventions to
address women’s empowerment and rights are needed. Women must be given
access to earmarked policies and resources where they are disadvantaged,
in order to redress situations of exclusion and discrimination.
- Affirmative action to increase numbers of women in formal political
structures and other decision-making bodies is an effective way to
kick-start processes of change towards gender equality.
Source: Bridge Citizenship cutting edge pack.