Gender Responsive Governance
What is GRG and how can people benefit from implementing it in their communities?
According to GRG, every governing decision should be made based on how it affects different groups of men and women. When deciding on building a road, it should be taken into account that a road is mainly about well-paved asphalt for drivers. For pedestrians it is about a sidewalk. A bike path matters the most for cyclists. For parents with children, it’s all about a comfortable and safe pedestrian crossing. Villagers with livestock need a convenient designated area for cattle crossing, and those who often come home late need street lighting, etc. If government decision-making is based solely on the needs of drivers, who are mostly men, the road will be made according to their experience and needs, while the needs of women and children, who mostly use public transportation or walk, will not be met.
What does the Toolkit measure?
The Gender Equality Toolkit comprises seven indices. Every index represents a specific aspect of gender policy implementation:
Index 1: Formal commitment of local authorities to implement gender equality policy.
Index 2: Activities of local-self government bodies include specific measures for ensuring inclusion of gender-sensitive needs at each stage of local policy development.
Index 3: Availability and accessibility of data segregated by gender at the local level in the spheres of population and migration; education; healthcare; social support and services; culture; leisure and recreation; and participation of women and men in the decision-making process, in civic life, and in economic development.
Index 4: Local self-government bodies have committed themselves to increase the qualification level of local self-government officers and interested individuals on the issues related to gender policy implementation.
Index 5: Сonducting awareness-raising and educational campaigns on gender equality.
Index 6: Availability of specific measures/actions/practices for ensuring gender equality at the level of executive agencies of local self-government bodies and municipal enterprises/institutions/organizations.
Index 7: Existence of gender-related measures to improve service delivery in education, culture and leisure, administrative services, social protection, youth policy, healthcare, public transport, settlement improvement, and public safety.
History of the Toolkit
The Gender Equality Toolkit was developed in 2018 by the National Democratic Institute’s team of experts under the USAID program “Decentralization Offering Better Results and Efficiency (DOBRE).” The indices in the Toolkit were developed by Ukrainian practicing experts based on the principles of the European Charter for Equality of Women and Men in Local Life (2006) and indicators of the Toolkit to plan and monitor policies and practices (2015), developed by the Council of European Municipalities and Regions. The Toolkit is unique, as it takes into account current international and domestic legislation/policies/practices.
