Gender-sensitive Parliaments

Gender equality action plans are gender mainstreaming tools that describe the specific actions a parliament will take to advance gender equality in their institution.

Gender equality action plans hold parliaments responsible for their gender equality commitments and ensure that the realisation of gender equality is an achievable objective within the parliament, rather than a ‘wish’. These plans include detailed information on the:

• overarching goals that the parliament will strive towards to advance gender equality in the institution during a specific period;
• specific measures that will be implemented by different groups in the institution to address each of the issues identified, within the specified timeframe;
• steps that will be taken to monitor the plan’s implementation and evaluate whether it has achieved its overarching goals.

These plans bring together different actors under a common framework for advancing gender equality and achieving gender-responsive institutional transformation. These include:

• members of different political parties, to ensure that the achievement of gender equality is not viewed as the initiative of a single party and is instead a shared value;
• representatives from both the political and administrative sides of parliament to ensure that the plan has the political support required to contribute to institutional reforms and the technical support needed to ensure its smooth delivery.

• See EIGE’s brief on gender equality action plans to learn more about what gender equality action plans are, how these plans can facilitate gender-responsive institutional transformation, and how they can support institutions in addressing gender inequalities, including from an intersectional perspective.