Goal

Strategic pursuit of agreed gender goals within projects of the local authority.

Measure

The municipality of the German city Freiburg developed a gender outline plan [1] which sets goals for gender mainstreaming, gender budgeting and diversity measures. The different departments are requested to assign gender and diversity specific objectives to their ongoing and planned measures and projects. [1]

Outcome

The gender outline plan is based on 52 equality targets agreed by the local council. The targets, which address the different life situations of specific groups and/or individuals, were developed from the topics and principles of the “Gender Compass”, the “EU Roadmap” [2], the “European Charter for Equality between Women and Men at Local Level” [3] and the “Aalborg Commitments” [4].

Examples of targets:

• Promoting economic development and employment for women and men in different life situations.
• Promote equality between women and men in different life situations in all areas of employment, including work organisation and working conditions, as well as dignity and safety at work.
• Creating existence-securing jobs for women and men in different life situations.
• Promoting jobs that break down gender stereotypes.
• Promoting career guidance towards non-stereotypical career choices.
• Protect against sexual harassment and mobbing in the workplace.
• Promote active and public participation in political and civil society life for women and men from all groups of society.
• Eliminating gender stereotypes in education, vocational education and the further training system.

This guide and its application shows quite simply that it is not enough to ask departments to take gender and diversity aspects into account. It is more efficient and ensures acceptance if, as in this case, a catalogue with concrete goals and their description is provided. This does not only inspire the departments, but also provides them with a concrete toolbox to choose from. This greatly accelerates the take-up of such activities.

Sources:

[1] Gender outline plan (Gender-Rahmenplan) of the municipality of Freiburg. https://www.freiburg.de/pb/site/Freiburg/get/params_E-1800323271/1023020/Gender_Rahmenplan_II_Online_version_2016.pdf

[2] EU-Roadmap: A Roadmap for equality between women and men
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM%3A2006%3A0092%3AFIN%3AEN%3APDF

[3] The European Charter for Equality of women and men in local life http://www.ccre.org/docs/charte_egalite_en.pdf

[4] Aalborg Commitments http://www.sustainablecities.eu/fileadmin/repository/Aalborg_Commitments/Aalborg_Commitments_English.pdf