Commit to a gender equality action plan

As a minimum requirement, for a gender equality action plan to be successful, leaders of the parliament must formally commit to the establishment of a gender equality action plan. The support of leadership symbolises the endorsement of the wider institution. It sets a precedent that the plan is a priority for the parliament.

Who are relevant leaders in parliaments?

Parliamentary leaders include members of parliamentary bureaus, presidiums, boards, and similar decision-making authorities that are responsible for managing the overall operations and activities of the parliament. The following sections refer to these various decision-making bodies as ‘parliamentary bureaus’.

You can choose to commit to:

  • a long-term gender equality action plan active for a minimum of 3–4 years, which allows you to make more substantial reforms to your parliament and monitor the enduring impacts over an extended period;
  • a shorter plan (e.g. 1–2 years), which is more flexible in changing circumstances and may require fewer human and financial resources.

Decide which option works best for you depending on your institutional context.

Your parliamentary bureau can also opt for continuous plans (i.e. follow-up plans that become active after a plan expires). This approach helps in achieving institutional transformation.

Examples of formal commitments made by parliamentary bureaus

In 2006, the Swedish Parliament adopted a decision that authorises the establishment of a gender equality action plan. The parliament decided to conduct continuous work to improve gender equality in the institution and established that the Board of Directors would be responsible for overseeing this work[1]. As part of their responsibility, the board is required to develop and evaluate gender equality action programmes for each electoral period[2]. Since 2006, the board has developed and endorsed gender equality action programmes for five election periods.

In 2019, the European Parliament adopted a new provision in its Rules of Procedure (Rule 239 on gender mainstreaming) that establishes the obligation to adopt a gender action plan aimed at integrating a gender perspective into all the Parliament’s activities at all levels and stages. The Rules of Procedure provides for biannual monitoring of the plan, and its review at least every 5 years[3].

Commit to a gender equality action plan

  • Identify the leaders that will formally commit to the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of a gender equality action plan (e.g. parliamentary bureaus, the presidium or the board).

  • Decide how these leaders will pledge their commitment (e.g. through an agreement at a bureau meeting or by incorporating the commitment into a broader gender equality strategy).

  • Assess whether leaders can commit to the establishment of recurring plans (i.e. plans that occur repeatedly after a specified period).

  • Decide how regularly new gender equality action plans will be developed (e.g. every electoral period).