Measures to ensure women’ agency, voice and seats around decision-making tables

UN Women, 28 Jan 2021 

So how do we put in place measures to ensure women’s agency, voice and seats around decision-making tables? Here are just three recommendations, relevant in private, public and community contexts, to get started.

1.      Ensure that decision-making bodies are gender-balanced. Publicly commit to taking a gender-inclusive stance in response and recovery efforts. Where balance does not exist, temporary special measures, including gender quotas, should be put in force.

2.      Ensure that gender equality concerns are embedded in the design and implementation of workplace and national COVID-19 policy responses and budgets. Implement and analyse gender impact assessments to track and mitigate the pandemic’s impact on women and girls. Resource accordingly.

3.      Recognise and remove barriers to women’s leadership. Existing inequalities and discriminatory social norms contribute to women being underrepresented in leadership roles, in the private sector and in government. Consider women’s increased burden of care and implement flexible working arrangements, child care subsidies/widespread access to free and affordable child care. Encourage men to share domestic care work and role model this through high profile, accessible campaigns within government and the private sector.

In full: https://unwomen.org.au/the-unfinished-business-of-leadership-then-and-now/

.