ILO Gender Equality
Gender Equality
in
the World of Work
ILO Vision on Gender Equality
The ILO website is managed by the Bureau for Gender
Equality, which is part of the Geneva-based Secretariat of the International
Labour Organization (ILO). The ILO considers gender equality a key element
of its vision of Decent
Work for All toward social and institutional change to bring about equity
and growth. Gender equality, along with development, has been identified by the
ILO as a cross-cutting issue of the strategic
objectives of its global agenda of Decent Work.
The ILO's two-pronged approach to gender equality is to mainstream
gender concerns in all its policies and programmes. This includes
gender-specific interventions, based on gender analysis, which may target only
women or only men, or women and men together.
ILO Bureau for Gender Equality
The Bureau for Gender Equality, which reports directly
to the Director-General
of the ILO, is the Organization's central gender unit. Its mandate is to promote
equality between women and men throughout the organization. The Bureau acts as
advisor, catalyst, advocate and communicator for mainstreaming a gender
perspective in all ILO policies, programmes and activities. This includes
supporting and coordinating implementation of the ILO's Action
Plan on Gender Equality and Mainstreaming which also encompasses the first Office-wide
Gender Audit, managed by the Bureau.
The Bureau's roles and responsibilities include facilitating the establishment
of institutional mechanisms for incorporating a gender perspective through the
Office's sectors, departments, programmes and field offices as they plan,
implement, monitor and evaluate their work.
The Bureau for Gender Equality advocates ILO policies, instruments, work and
activities on gender and gender equality. It disseminates information about
gender issues in the world of work to ILO staff, constituents, and the
international community. It acts as liaison in relations concerning gender
issues with the UN system, NGOs, and academic and women's organizations. In
addition, the Bureau acts as liaison with the ILO Governing Body concerning
gender issues within the organization.
ILO Action Plan on Gender Equality and Gender Mainstreaming
The ILO has identified gender as an issue cutting across all of its programmes
and activities in the world of work. To implement this strategy, in December
1999 the Director-General of ILO issued a policy statement highlighting a strong
and visible political commitment at the highest level of the Office.
The Action Plan on Gender Equality and Gender Mainstreaming in the ILO was
submitted to the ILO Governing Body in March 2001. It provides for a
participatory approach to mainstreaming for gender equality in the world of
work. The Action Plan covers:
• a new methodology for analysis to ensure gender concerns are
incorporated in planning, programming, implementation, monitoring and
evaluation.
• gender-sensitive data, amd gender-specific development tools and
indicators; and
• implementation of gender balance in its personnel policy and practices.
These measures aim to ensure that gender analysis and planning are introduced
into all ILO activities, and at every level. They help to identify potentially
different effects of the work of the ILO on women and men, and the provisions
necessary to ensure that its activities have a positive influence on gender
equality.
Institutionalizing Gender Mainstreaming
The Action Plan is an instrument to institutionalize gender mainstreaming as a
strategy of the International Labour Office, which is the Secretariat of the ILO,
to promote gender equality. It also reflects gender as an issue cutting across
the strategic objectives of the ILO.
In addition, the Action Plan incorporates fundamental changes in approaches and
practices with a systematic focus on both women and men.
This is through:
• Gender analysis of social and labour issues by (a) looking at the
complexity of gender differentials in labour market participation, (b)
understanding women's and men's constraints and opportunities in relation to
knowledge and skills, conditions of work, social protection, family
responsibilities, and economic and political decision-making, and (c) reviewing
the different implications for women and men of the proposed solutions.
• Mechanisms to ensure gender concerns are incorporated into planning,
programming, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating ILO's programmes and
activities.
The Action Plan and the Director-General's policy statement state that gender
mainstreaming is the responsibility of all staff at all levels in all area(s),
especially at the Director level. The key features of the Action Plan are:
I. Director-General's policy statement on gender equality and gender
mainstreaming
II. Gender mainstreaming in the structure of the International Labour
Office
III. Capacity-building for staff and constituents
IV. Gender mainstreaming in the work of the ILO
V. Gender-sensitive human resources and staff policy