1) Participatory gender audits are a tool for organizational self-assessment and gender mainstreaming that were pioneered by the ILO starting in 2001. They involve desk reviews, interviews, and participatory workshops to evaluate how well an organization integrates gender equality. 2) Over 30 ILO offices and constituents like workers organizations underwent gender audits from 2001-2009. Training of facilitators was also provided. Key findings included a lack of gender mainstreaming tools and clarity on concepts as well as limited representation of women. 3) Positive outcomes of the audits included improved gender balance, flexible work policies, and new tools for integrating gender into technical areas. Ongoing challenges include a lack of accountability and

1. Participatory Gender Audit as a
Gender Mainstreaming Tool
Dr. Jyoti Tuladhar
International Gender Expert
On the Move for Equality
Education International’s First World Women’s
Conference
21-23 January 2011

2. 2
2
ILO Gender Audits: Evolution (2001-2009)
Pioneered as “Flagship” Product in 2001- based on participatory self-assessment methodology
devised by Gender and Development Training Centre in Netherlands and adapted for the ILO
First of its kind within UN system
In First ILO Gender Audit (2001-2002) main focus on auditing 15 ILO Offices/Units
8 Field Offices: Bangkok, Kathmandu, Budapest, Moscow, Beirut, Dar-es-salaam, Yaounde, Brazilia
Global Desk Review of 700 ILO key policy documents and major publications
• In 2003: 3 ILO audits completed: Manila, Port of Spain, Pretoria
Total: 32 ILO audits ( 13 HQ and 19 Field Offices in 2004-2009)
New dimension added in 2004 by extending audits to major ILO constituents. Aim was to reach out
to decision making bodies at the policy level:
ILO partners: Governments, Workers and Employers’ Organizations (Sri Lanka, Yemen,
Mozambique, Kyrgyzstan + )
ICFTU (ITUC); Education International (EI) Presentation + TOFs to UN Inter Agency Groups in
Pakistan, Beijing, Moscow, Yemen, Kyrgyzstan and Mozambique
Increasing recognition of PGA as a practical, effective and relevant tool

3. 3
3
TOFs for ILO Constituents &UN groups
Total of 20 TOFs to ILO tripartite constituents, partners and national experts:
Asia-Pacific (Colombo, New Delhi, Kathmandu, Pakistan, Indonesia, Manila,
Cambodia, Yemen, Beirut)
Europe/Central Asia (Moscow, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine)
Africa (Mozambique, Tanzania, Lusaka)
Total of 10 TOFs for UN agencies (7 under DFID funds and 3 with other
resources)
Mozambique, Abuja, Malawi, Tanzania, Addis Ababa, Cape Verde, Rwanda,
Zimbabwe and Philippines
Conducted supervision of both UN and ILO constituent audits
Total: approximately 600 national facilitators; 250 UN facilitators and 80 ILO
officials (though many no longer available within ILO) trained on PGA

4. 4
4
Gender audits
ILO Office
Constituent
UN Agency
ILO headquarters

5. Quality audit” - “Social audit” as distinct from
traditional financial type of audits
• A tool and a process based on a participatory
methodology to promote organizational learning
through self assessment:
- at the individual,
- work unit and
- organizational levels
on how to practically and effectively mainstream gender
Gender audit (tool) -- gender mainstreaming (strategy) -
 gender equality (goal)
1. What is Unique about PGA?

6. 2. What does PGA do?
• Gender audits look at “structures”, “processes” and
“results” from a gender perspective
• Facilitates identification of gender results and necessary
structures & processes to be put in place by the
organizations themselves
• Participatory, ownership approach
• Focus on individual and collective accountability,
structures and process

7. How can PGA be used?
– Monitoring tool: Assessment of the extent to
which people and their organizations use a gender
mainstreaming approach to achieve the gender equality
goals of their organization
– Evaluation tool: Combination of external and internal
review and evaluation
– Needs assessment & capacity building tool: Focus
on:
- Group learning
- Creating ownership
- Consensus building
- Establish baseline data

8. PGA Key Features
Participatory in approach
Diagnostic self assessment
Collective exercise
Reflective analysis
Promotes learning and ownership
Consensus building
Preserves confidentiality
Mainly subjective based on perceptions
(+objective facts)

9. 3. Five Key Result Areas
WORK TOWARDS
• Coherent Policy on Gender
• Gender Perspective in substantive work
• Specific institutional arrangements (CM, Focal points,
teams and task forces, advisory bodies)
• Gender competence building strategy
• Gender sensitive Human Resources Policy: gender
balance in representation

10. Tool for Organizational Change
• Securing political will and commitment (Strong and visible
commitment at highest political level)
• Accountability procedures: explicit
policies/programmes/budget
• Technical skills/expertise
• Institutional Mechanisms: establishing systems and
procedures for advocating and implementing issues, e.g.
advocating for EO and anti-discrimination
laws/regulations/

11. Based on transformational learning concepts:
Dialogue: process of discussion, interaction, and exploration
with others which facilitates critical analysis of the world
Praxis: process of reflection in searching for the truth
Conscientisation: the process of learning to recognize social,
political, and economic contradictions and to take action
against the oppressive elements … power to transform reality
… leading to a pursuit of fuller humanity
Transformational Learning Tool

12. Why is such an approach important?
Because:
It entrusts the organizations with the responsibility to shape
their own future
It entrusts people to articulate their own gender related
development goals, objectives, desired outcomes and changes
It helps identify necessary inputs, actionable steps, and
strategies for achieving those changes
Participatory processes inherently emanate ownership
over individual and organizational development progress.

13. 4 Theoretical Underpinnings
A. Gender and Development Approach
B. Experiential (Adult) Learning Cycle
C. Qualitative self-assessment
D. Knowledge management in learning
organization

14. Gender: Ideas and expectations about the characteristics, aptitudes
and likely behaviour of women and men that are Socially learned,
Dynamic and changeable over time and Cultural and societal
variations
Sex: Biologically determined differences between women and men
that are universal
Gender division of labour
• Access to and control over resources
• Power relations /perspectives and perceptions
• Practical and Strategic Needs and Interests
• Notions of Masculinity and Femininity
A. Gender and Development Approach

15. Existing socio-cultural system (Patrilineal/Matrilineal)
Gender Stereotypes
• Men are bread winners, women service providers
• Men are natural leaders and managers
• Nobody will accept a woman boss.
• Fast track promotion: a must for promising men, a waste for promising women
Institutional Permeation:
Household - Community - Market – State
How are Gender values & norms determined?
Changes in stereotypes take place.
Japan: View on: Women should stay at home. Men are paid workers.
Men Women
1987 50% 38%
1990 36% 24%

16. Gender Equality
• Equal rights and responsibilities
• Equal treatment
• Equal valuation of both women and
men, girls and boys so that they can
participate in, decide on and benefit
from development on an equal footing.
• Gender Equality:
- Same fundamental Human Rights
- Equal Value and Fair Distribution of:
* responsibilities and opportunities
* workload, decision making and income

17. Gender equality, or equality between men and women, refers to:
 Enjoyment of equal rights, opportunities and treatment by men and
women of all ages in all spheres of life and work.
 It implies that all human beings are free to develop their personal
abilities and make choices without the limitations set by stereotypes
and prejudices about gender roles or the characteristics of men and
women.
 It means that the different behaviour, aspirations and needs of women
and men are considered, valued and favoured equally.
 It does not mean that women and men are the same or have to
become the same, but that their rights, responsibilities, social status
and access
 to resources do not depend on whether they are born male or female.
What is Gender Equality?

18. • Also known as Gender Justice: fair treatment of both
sexes that take into account and address the different
needs of the men, women, boys and girls, cultural
barriers and the effects of (past) discrimination of the
specific group.
What is Gender Equity?
A stork and a fox
cannot eat from the
same types of dishes.
Equal ≠ the Same

19. Adopted as the main strategy for promoting gender equality at global and
national levels at Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995.
ECOSOC defines gender mainstreaming as:
• the process of assessing the implications for women and men on any
planned action, including legislation, polices or programmes, in any
area and at all levels;
• a strategy for making the concerns and experiences of women as well
as of men an integral part of the design, implementation, monitoring
and evaluation of policies and programmes in all political, economic
and societal spheres, so that women and men;
• benefit equally, and inequality is not perpetuated
• The ultimate goal of mainstreaming is to achieve gender equality
(Agreed Conclusions:E/1997/L.30, p. 2).
What is Gender Mainstreaming?

20. B. Experiential Learning Cycle
Step 1:
Experiencing action
Step 5: Step 2:
Application Sharing feelings
in real life on what happened
Step 4: Step 3:
Drawing conclusions Analyzing
and key messages what happened

21. C. Qualitative Self-Assessment
– Why are things as they are?
– How did we get to where we are?
– Why do we act the way we do?
– What are the forces of change?
– Where are the forces that make change
possible?
– Are we doing the right things?
– Are we doing the right things in the right way?

22. ILO Bureau for Gender Equality
D. The Learning Organization
Involves assessing, learning and change at all three levels:
individual, unit and organization
Three loops of learning:
Single
Double
Triple

23. 5. Key Areas of Analysis
1. Relationships with current gender issues, gender
debate and national gender machineries :
(one/third representation of women in all state
institutions – labour and employment related
institutions?)
2. Mainstreaming of gender equality concerns in
the objectives, programmes and budgets of the
organization
(Making GE issues visible on agenda of social dialogue
and tripartite institutions)

24. Key areas of analysis
3. Systems and instruments in use:
(Institutional arrangements – mechanisms for
programming, implementing, monitoring and evaluation
- Accountability framework for GE to be established)
4. Existing gender expertise, competence and capacity
building
5. Information and knowledge management
6. Staffing and human resources: (Gender balance in
senior posts - expansion of career development
opportunities for all staff - creation of family friendly
and enabling working environment for all – women
and men)

25. Key areas of analysis: Accessing Voice
7. Decision-making on gender mainstreaming
• Increasing participation: Systematic efforts to ensure
greater representation in delegations, tripartite
committees, seminars & training courses
• Increasing representation in decision making: Improved
gender balance in policy making and deliberative
Councils, Conference and Advisory bodies
• Male/female ratio:40-60% - Minimum 30% - of each
• Promoting more effective representation of women in
leadership positions

26. 8. Organizational Culture
Gender dynamics within, values and modes of
behaviour
9. Products and Public Image
10. Selection of Partner Organizations
Some Key Areas of Analysis

27. ILO Bureau for Gender Equality
6. Gender Audits – How?
Methods:
– Desk review of key products of the
Organization
– Semi-structured individual and group
interviews
– Participatory workshops
– Consultations with partner
organizations

28. Desk review – How?
 Why review documents?
 What Types of documents to review?
 How many to review
 Criteria of review

29. ILO Bureau for Gender Equality
Why interview?
When to interview?
Who to interview?
How to Interview?
Individual/Group Interviews

30. ILO Bureau for Gender Equality
Participatory Workshops
Core Exercises
•Historical Timeline
•Gender Knowledge mapping
•Hofstede’s Onion
•Classification of projects
Optional exercises
•Venn Diagram
•SWOT
•Mind mapping
•Ideal organization

31. How to select the Facilitating Team?
Critical Thinking and Learning occurs best in
Environments that are
Non-threatening and Open
Qualities and Role of Facilitators : Team of 4 members
- Non-judgemental
- Objective
- Encourage discussion of opposing views
- Good communicator, able to clarify complex issues
- Open with no «right or wrong answers»
- Strict confidentiality observed
- No manipulation or control or exertion of power over
focus group

32. 32
Gender Audit Timeline (Model)
Time investment: 10 working days
Stages:
– Preparation before the audit: critical for success
– Desk review and interviews: 4 days
– Workshops and consultations: 4 days
– Report writing with Summary ready at end of
audit: 1.5 day and throughout
– Debriefing of Director and feedback session
with Unit to validate findings and
recommendations: 0.5 day

33. Writing the gender audit report
• Confidential, property of audited organization
• Not more than 30 pages
• Findings and recommendations
• Constructive, not judgmental
• Practical and realistic recommendations

34. Self assessment Solution Finding
Identifying strengths Through guided exercises
Gaps and challenges and open-ended dialogue,
And analyzing them engage participants to
critically think on what
changes are needed for
effective gender-
mainstreaming
Presenting findings Writing the report
And recommendations Follow up Action Plans
In collective feedback
Summing Up: What do we produce as OUTPUT?
During
the
PGA
After
the
PGA

35. ILO Bureau for Gender Equality
Key findings from gender audits
• Lack of conceptual clarity on gender concepts and gender
mainstreaming
• Need to make gender “visible”, “specific”, “explicit”, “concrete”
and integrated
• Limited exposure to gender mainstreaming tools and
methodologies
• Overload on gender specialists and GFPs
• How to integrate gender into technical areas is the “million dollar
question”
• Establish benchmark for effectiveness of interventions

36. Key findings from gender audits
• Need to develop mechanisms for accountability on gender
mainstreaming
• Lack of specific gender indicators that would help track progress made
• Lack of consistency and sustainability of gender mainstreaming
throughout institutional structures and mechanisms
• Need for management to explore ways of highlighting and giving
recognition to good practices in gender mainstreaming
• Wherever sound management practices “backing up” management
commitment, GMS is “taking off”

37. Positive outcomes
• Project documents examined through a “gender filter” – screening
project proposals
• Creating work environment to make professional and private life more
balanced - flexible working time and working from home arrangement
to promote family friendly workplace
• Improvement of sex balance at all levels – particularly at senior posts
• Resource tracking through separate budget lines – how to make gender
budgeting applicable to constituents’ needs
• Improved efforts at gender mainstreaming in technical cooperation
projects

38. Positive Outcomes
• New user-friendly tools on gender and child labour published
• Advocacy strategies for promoting gender equality in different
programmes strengthened
• Gender focal team set up to monitor implementation of audit
recommendations
• Country-specific vision on gender equality and gender mainstreaming
strategy developed
• Contribution to team building, cohesiveness and growth of culture of
sharing information and knowledge on gender issues within the unit
• Develop monitoring systems that are qualitative and quantitative based
on participatory self assessments and peer group review
• Develop more management practices that are based on promoting
reflection and learning as basis for improved performance
• TOFs for gender audits among constituents

39. Reality Check!!!
Challenges faced by Unions:
 lack of political will from some union leaders which results in low
participation of women in union activities and their absence at decision-
making positions in the unions and society
 limited training opportunity for women
 insufficient specific training related to gender and women also needs to
be addressed to change the culture of the unions
 Recruiting young women teachers and ensuring their active
participation in union’s activities
 Violence against women at the workplace
 Balance of family and professional life
 Equality in union leadership

40. Challenges …
 Unions need to have their own gender policy and equity work
plan
 Need to generate indicators that enable unions to measure the
advances regarding equality inside the structures and also in the
education sector
 to ensure that institutional policies on equality remain stable
regardless of the changing of executive board
 to work harder for inclusive education policies with gender
equity perspective
 To increase demand and dissemination of laws against women
violence
 improve the percentages of women’s participation in national
leadership

41. FNPR: Venn Diagram

42. Hofstede’s Onion (FNPR)

43. Manila Onion (UN GMC)

44. 44
44
Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Indonesia, Philippines

45. 45
45
Bandung and Bogor (Indonesia)

46. 46
46
Kiev, Manila, Nepal

47. 47
47
Kiev, Bishkek, Bandung

48. 48
48
Yemen

49. 49
49
Harare, Lusaka, Malawi, Jos

50. 50
50
Kiev (Ukraine)