Policy perspectives

The section ‘Policy perspectives’ engages with how gender inequalities are addressed by (not) implementing gender mainstreaming in different policies. A major premise of gender mainstreaming is that not a single policy decision (be it legislation, policy programmes, budgets etc) is gender neutral. All decisions have gendered effects. In certain policy fields like social policy, research, or public security which entails addressing gender-based violence, gender aspects are obvious and often well-covered in research. In others, such as space policy, climate change or agrifood systems, gender mainstreaming triggered new research that showed the often overlooked gender aspects. As the chapters in this section demonstrate, the original premise of mainstreaming gender in all policies has fully taken root and certainly represents one of the greatest progresses since Beijing - even if implementation continues to be lacking. Overall, the section presents a variety of policy fields and developments regarding mainstreaming gender within them. The chapters attend to core debates for each policy, how they changed over time, and the current state-of-the art. They also engage with the role of policy-makers, be it gender experts or – in line with the original idea – the ones usually in charge of policy- and decision-making, and the challenges they face. Each chapter includes illustrative empirical cases to provide in-depth insights, while spotlights engage with policy fields where addressing gender aspects is still only emerging and thus an innovation. Erika Valerio (FAO) and Jacqui True (Monash University) have already confirmed their participation.