A comprehensive and concrete Gender Equality (GE) context analysis in RPOs, based on the analysis of sex-disaggregated data, lies at the core of every good GEPGB.
Only a detailed assessment of the inequalities existing in the organisation – including possible background factors – allows for the correct identification of the fields where there is a need for action, the kind of measures that may be effective to counteract the inequalities and the way the money of RPOs’ budgets is used under the GE perspective.
Since gender inequalities are deeply rooted in the often neglected segregation between paid work and unpaid work (i.e., productive and reproductive life), the main objective of gender context analysis is that of a truth-telling exercise which shows and describes the relations of interdependence that occur among these two domains.
Gender inequalities observed in other areas of knowledge are also affected by pre-labour market discrimination and stereotypes related to the observed gender segregation in different fields for students and researchers, showing a visible impact on career perspective by gender.
To adopt an innovative perspective in context analysis, it would be advisable to experiment with the capability approach. It systematically goes through the list of RPOs’ capabilities and decides the level of attention required (i.e., high, medium, low), the kind of stakeholders mainly engaged in the capability as direct beneficiaries or agents of change, further capabilities indirectly involved, questions that need to be answered, gender data that might be useful, and departments that could release such data. RPOs must define a tailored list of capabilities, preferably with the support of a participatory process, and give them a level of importance depending on their specific relevance to RPOs’ GE strategy and stakeholders’ contributions. Such a flexible process with constant negotiation among institutions, stakeholders and the team in charge of gender context analysis on what is essential about gender perspective and equality within RPOs fosters a year-by-year transformation, thanks to its permanent review and collective and shared approach.
LeTSGEPs partners followed the capability approach in their context analysis. All details are available in the open access Handbook. For further details, download it here in English and in the national languages of LeTSGEPs partners (Albanian, French, German, Italian, Serbian, Spanish). There is also a version in English for people with visual impairments, so that nobody is left behind.
