Dimension: 5.1.3 Gender mainstreaming
This dimension concerns the mechanisms by which gender concerns are mainstreamed across parliamentary processes and outputs, with the aim of achieving gender equality and preventing discrimination on the basis of gender.
MPs have a duty and power to ensure that the national legal framework is consistent with international agreements on gender equality, notably the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). They also have a responsibility to hold the executive to account for progress in gender mainstreaming across all policy sectors. All MPs – men and women – should have the understanding, skills and information necessary to use parliamentary mechanisms effectively to address gender equality issues.
Many parliaments have established a gender equality committee or other dedicated body to review legislation from a gender perspective. Notwithstanding, gender mainstreaming implies that responsibilities are shared across all parliamentary committees, as well as in cross-party groups. Other mechanisms for gender mainstreaming include caucuses of women parliamentarians, networks of parliamentary leaders, internal gender audits, and specialist research units.
A gender-sensitive parliament takes a strategic approach to gender mainstreaming and has strong institutional capacity to incorporate a gender perspective throughout its work. Parliament Parliament A national body of elected (or sometimes appointed) representatives that makes laws, debates issues and holds the government to account. should aim to prevent gender-based discrimination in all its forms, including on the basis of sexual orientation and gender expression or identity.
To achieve these goals, parliament needs institutional connections with a broad range of groups, including CSOs, the private sector and academia, and an evidence-informed approach, including systematic use of gender statistics and sex-disaggregated data. Increasingly, gender-sensitive language is employed as standard in law-making and other parliamentary practices.
Aspiring goal
Assess your parliament against this dimension
Assessment criteria
No 1: Commitment to gender mainstreaming
A commitment to gender mainstreaming is publicly manifested in parliamentary rules, strategic planning documents and practices. Parliament regularly monitors and reports on its performance on gender mainstreaming.
No 2: Law-making and oversight
Parliament has established a gender equality committee or other dedicated body with a mandate to scrutinize legislation and oversee the executive from a gender perspective. Mechanisms exist to support the mainstreaming of a gender perspective in the work of all parliamentary committees.
No 3: Consultation
National women’s groups, gender rights advocates, CSOs, the private sector, academia and other outside sources of expertise are routinely consulted in the work of parliament and its committees.
No 4: CEDAW Committee
Parliament participates in the preparation and presentation of national reports to international bodies including the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW Committee) and holds debates on the resulting recommendations.
No 5: Resources
Training on gender issues is provided for all MPs. Parliamentary research and committee staff have the capacity to provide expert analysis and briefings on gender issues, including gender statistics and sex-disaggregated data.
How to complete this assessment
This dimension is assessed against several criteria, each of which should be evaluated separately. For each criterion, select one of the six descriptive grades (Non-existent, Rudimentary, Basic, Good, Very good and Excellent) that best reflects the situation in your parliament, and provide details of the evidence on which this assessment is based.
The evidence for assessment of this dimension could include the following:
- A parliamentary strategic plan, gender equality plan, gender audit, or other plans and/or policy documents
- Provisions of parliament’s rules of procedure on gender mainstreaming
- Terms of reference, statutes or other documents establishing a parliamentary gender equality committee, women’s caucus or other body dedicated to gender mainstreaming
- Training materials for MPs and staff on gender equality
- Parliamentary research papers or briefings on gender-related issues
- Laws relating to gender equality passed by parliament in the past five years or more
- Reports to the CEDAW Committee Committee See: Parliamentary committee Parliamentary committee A body comprised of MPs who are appointed, on either a temporary or a permanent basis, to debate or closely examine matters closely related to specific policies, issues or circumstances, in line with the committee’s scope of work. The theme, structure and nature of parliamentary committees are established by a chamber’s rules of procedure. Depending on the these rules, the composition of a committee may reflect that of the whole parliament or include diverse party representation. In some parliaments, the term “commission” is used instead of, or interchangeably with, “committee”. . and other bodies demonstrating parliamentary scrutiny and inputs
- Parliamentary toolkits and/or checklists for gender-sensitive analysis of legislation
Where relevant, provide additional comments or examples that support the assessment.
Sources and further reading
- Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Gender-Sensitive Parliaments: A Global Review of Good Practice, (2011).
- IPU, Evaluating the gender-sensitivity of parliaments: A self-assessment toolkit (2016).
- Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Making Laws Work for Women and Men: A Practical Guide to Gender-Sensitive Legislation Legislation A law or a set of laws that have been passed by parliament. The word is also used to describe the act of making a new law. See also: Act of parliament, Law and Law-making. (2017).
- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Parliament Parliament A national body of elected (or sometimes appointed) representatives that makes laws, debates issues and holds the government to account. of the Republic of Fiji, Scrutinising Legislation Legislation A law or a set of laws that have been passed by parliament. The word is also used to describe the act of making a new law. See also: Act of parliament, Law and Law-making. from a Gender Perspective: A Practical Toolkit (2017).
Get help with this assessment
The assessment of indicators involves diagnosing and considering strengths and weaknesses, i.e. the things parliament is doing well, and the things it could do better or more effectively, taking into account established good practices that are described in the indicators.
Read the assessment guidance to find out what to consider when conducting an assessment against the Indicators. Find out how to prepare, how to set the objectives of the assessment, how to organize the process, and more. Contact the project partners for expert advice.
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