THE ILO PARTICIPATORY GENDER REVIEW Adapted for the South African Private Sector By Business Engage Association NPC
Index 1
Introduction
2
The ILO Viewpoint on Gender Issues
3
Why the Participatory Gender Review?
4
What is a Participatory Gender Review?
5
Supporting The Private Sector in the Participatory Gender Review
6
The Cost
7
The Review Process
8
Part One : An Overview Of The Participatory Gender Review
9
Part Two : The Implementation Process
10
Part Three : The Facilitator’s Workshop
11
Part Four : Feedback And Reporting
Introduction Over the past few years Business Engage Association NPC has been compiling a number of initiatives aimed at Gender Mainstreaming in the South African private sector. The one area that remained a dilemma was the issue of whether or not corporates are able to successfully benchmark exactly where they are in their gender diversity journey, using both local and international norms and best practices. A number of years ago Colleen Larsen, the CEO of Business Engage, was trained in the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Participatory Gender Audit methodology. This is a system developed globally over many years by the ILO in order that organisations may be able to better analyse their gender positioning both internally and externally. Although a superb and well established technique, it was much more suited to United Nations agencies, civil society and the like than to the private sector. With all the private sector Gender Mainstreaming research and thought leadership that Business Engage has been involved in over the years it became clear that the ILO methodology could however be adapted to suit the situation that the South African private sector finds itself in. With the consent of the International Labour Organisation, Business Engage has now refined this methodology and produced the Participatory Gender Review. This review is still an ILO process and the ILO remains the owners of the copyrighted material contained in the review manual. Business Engage are endorsed by the ILO to offer the Participatory Gender Review to the South African private sector. (See letter attached.)
The ILO Viewpoint On Gender Issues Despite much effort and significant progress in many domains, gender equality is still lagging behind in a rapidly changing world. Transformation in the roles of women and men, their relations with each other, and the nature of the households, markets and societies in which they live continue to evolve in a globalised environment. Gender equality cannot be achieved when discrimination remains embedded in political, economic and social institutions and in development processes; it often remains unaddressed or is addressed in an uneven manner. Shifting boundaries and values create tensions that are sometimes magnified by rapid globalisation. Men and women may experience the day-to-day manifestations of these strains in their interactions particularly in their search for jobs and participation in the labour market, as they continue to perform their socially ascribed roles. Advancement up the “slippery ladder� to where they would want to be can be difficult or unattainable. While some may benefit from new opportunities, many may continue with traditional gender roles and suffer from increased burdens and stress. For the ILO, the pursuit of gender equality is justified on two grounds: First, there is the rights-based equity rationale. It argues the need to address the discrimination women face as a matter of fundamental human rights and justice. Despite the goal of eliminating discrimination based on sex, women continue to face disadvantages compared with men, who enjoy greater opportunities and better treatment in most areas of economic and social life. Marginalised populations are exposed to multiple forms of discrimination and consistently fare poorly in terms of socio-economic opportunities and treatment. These types of inequality deprive women of choice in employment and are contrary to normative considerations of fairness and justice.
Second, there is the economic efficiency rationale, which argues that women can play a critical role as economic agents capable of transforming societies and economies. Equality is not just an intrinsic value and a right in itself, but is instrumental in achieving economic growth, social change and poverty reduction. Relevant in all cultural settings, economic empowerment of women unleashes their energy, skills and potential as a force for development. Women’s increased bargaining power and decision-making ability in the household, as well as their improved status and income, have led to a number of positive secondary effects, such as enhanced child nutrition, health and education for girls and boys, better child-care practices, lower infant mortality rates and less child labour.
Why the Participatory Gender Review? Progress on gender equality is gauged by many criteria, but how can private sector entities be assessed for mainstreaming gender issues and for creating gender equitable work environments? One way is by conducting a PGR (originally termed by the ILO a Participatory Gender Audit). Now a mature methodology after many years of global implementation, the usefulness of the PGR has generated great international interest among constituents, donors agencies, training entities and academic institutions. Now, this technique has been specifically enhanced for relevance in the private sector in South Africa. The manual which is used in the PGR provides facilitators with guidelines and practical instructions on how to undertake a PGR in an organisational context. Its content and structure are based on training materials that are being used to prepare facilitators to conduct PGRs. Originally conceived to be used for training internal ILO gender facilitators, the PGR has been further revised to reach a wider target group in response to numerous requests from other organisations and structures such as the ILO constituents – governments, workers and employers – as well as many UN agencies and national and international training institutions that wish to undertake PGRs within their own organisational context. A step-by-step approach is used that leads facilitators through each stage of the process culminating with guidance on writing a report that covers key findings of the reviewed entity. The report provides the basis for the formulation of an action plan on how to improve the Gender Mainstreaming strategy in the given institutional setting. The PGR is a tool that supports an entity’s commitment to gender equality by examining the extent to which equality is being institutionalised; helps to identify good practices; and points to effective and efficient ways of moving forward in mainstreaming gender in all work activities. An entity cannot fail a review. It benchmarks where the entity is in order that it may define its aspirations, develop strategies and implement plans and programmes whilst systematically being able to report on progress and challenges. It is further particularly designed to integrate with existing processes and systems within the entity to minimise any perceived burden. What is a Participatory Gender Review? A PGR is a tool and a process based on a participatory methodology. It promotes organisational learning on mainstreaming gender practically and effectively. The ILO process has been amended by Business Engage based on over two years of research on global trends and thirteen years local experience in gender matters. Business Engage acts as leaders to train, support and capacitate employees nominated within the reviewed entity to undertake the PGR themselves as facilitators.
Supporting The Private Sector in the Participatory Gender Review Business Engage will undertake an intensive three day workshop to a maximum of 20 of the entity’s designated employees to train these employees on using the PGR within the entity. Follow up support and capacity building by Business Engage ensues thereafter up to a maximum of 16 hours, either electronic or face to face. Further support may be purchased by the entity thereafter. The designated employees become “facilitators” for the PGR and are equipped with a fully documented 120 page review manual. The PGR; • Considers whether internal practices and related support systems for Gender Mainstreaming are effective and reinforce each other; • Monitors and assesses the relative progress made in Gender Mainstreaming; • Establishes a baseline for the reviewed entity; • Identifies critical gaps and challenges; • Points to recommended ways of addressing them and suggests new and more effective strategies; • Points to good practices towards the achievement of gender equality. Using this participatory self-assessment methodology, PGRs take into account objective data and employee perceptions of the achievement of gender equality in an entity in order to better understand concrete and unsubstantiated facts and interpretations. The key components of the methodology are: • a gender survey for all / designated employees; • an extensive gender level analysis; • semi-structured interviews with designated employees of the reviewed entity at all hierarchical levels; • a collective workshop; and • A concluding report The overall aim of a PGR is to promote organisational learning on how to implement Gender Mainstreaming effectively in policies, programmes and structures and assess the extent to which policies have been institutionalised, if at all, at the level of the: • The entity; • Any division of the entity; • The Individual. The PGR’s objectives are to; • Generate understanding of the extent to which Gender Mainstreaming has been internalised and acted upon by employees; • Assess the extent of Gender Mainstreaming in terms of the development and delivery of gendersensitive strategies, plans, policies and programmes; • Identify and share information on mechanisms, practices and attitudes that have made a positive contribution to mainstreaming gender in an entity;
• Assess the level of resources allocated and spent on Gender Mainstreaming and gender related activities; • Examine the extent to which human resources policies are gender-sensitive; • Examine the employee sex balance at different levels of an entity; • Set up the initial baseline of performance on Gender Mainstreaming in an entity with a view to introducing an ongoing process of benchmarking to measure progress in promoting gender equality; • Measure progress in implementing action plans on Gender Mainstreaming; and • Identify room for improvement. The main outcome of a PGR is a report that includes the key findings regarding the entity for performance improvement and concrete actions for follow-up by the reviewed entity. The participatory approach ensures that participants learn how to critically assess their attitudes and practices and to develop ideas on improving their performance on gender equality. In summary, a PGR; • Enhances the collective capacity of an entity to examine its activities from a gender perspective and identifies strengths and weaknesses in promoting gender equality issues; • Helps to build organisational ownership for gender equality initiatives; and • Sharpens organisational learning on gender through a process of team-building, information sharing and reflection.
The Cost The cost is R95000,00 plus VAT (Includes 2 trainers) which includes the three day Business Engage workshop for 10-15 facilitators within the corporate, 16 hours support and all printing disbursements. Transport, accommodation and other associated costs excluded. The amount is payable 50% on commissioning and balance prior to the workshop.
The Review Process The facilitators follow the review manual for guidance to undertake the review which is split into a number of sections. The review manual is a step-by-step guide to the Participatory Gender Review process. It accompanies facilitators throughout the process ensuring that they can easily understand, design, organise, conduct, and follow- up on a review. Reviews are planned over an appropriate period for the size and complexity of the entity to ensure that they are thorough and result in a comprehensive end product. The term “facilitator” for good reason. Facilitators are trained to implement the review process. They do not dictate nor do they train other employees of the reviewed entity. Since the process is participatory, the term “auditor” is not used, as it could denote judgements and conclusions reached only on the basis of facts, whereas the Participatory Gender Review process also relies heavily on the perceptions of the employees and stakeholders of the reviewed entity. Part One outlines five Key Areas of analysis for collecting the information that will be needed throughout the review and for guiding the formulation of the recommendations. Part Two provides practical information for review facilitators related to the review process (preparing the activities, carrying out the Gender Survey, the Gender Level Analysis, organising the interviews, conducting the workshops, and drafting the report). These two parts constitute the core of the manual and provide guidance to ensure consistency and clear information flow between the review facilitators and the reviewed entity. Part Three comprises a set of participatory workshop exercises with detailed instructions on the objectives, the materials needed and the outcome expected. It also includes suggestions on how to adapt the exercises according to the needs and structure of the reviewed entity. Part Four covers the last two segments in the review process: “At the end of the review” and “After the review” and describes what needs to be addressed, including writing the report. Part Five contains a series of annexes, including: • A glossary of key concepts related to gender equality relevant to the review; • The four pillars of the methodological underpinnings of the participatory exercises; • A model review report structure.
Part One: An Overview Of The Participatory Gender Review The following five Key Areas represent the focus of analysis during a Participatory Gender Review. The questions are designed to raise awareness in each key area when conducting the Gender Level Analysis, the interviews and the workshops. The five Key Areas of analysis are; 1) Gender issues in the context of the entity, and existing gender expertise, competence and capacity-building 2) Gender in the entity’s objectives, programming and implementation cycles 3) Information and knowledge management within the entity, and gender equality policy as reflected in its strategies, processes, products and public image 4) Decision-making, staffing and human resources, and organisational culture 5) The entity’s perception of achievement on gender equality The PGR seeks to find answers to many guiding questions, such as; • Has the entity identified areas that pose constraints to its promotion of gender equality? • Is there a common understanding of gender issues and Gender Mainstreaming among employees which can be the basis of dialogue and performance indicators? • What are the perceived and real levels of expertise regarding gender: knowledge, skills and attitude? • How much, if anything has been allocated and spent on gender competence and capacity building? • Is gender equality integrated into the entity’s programme and objectives, and, if so, how? • Are there gender specific indicators for measuring results? Are these indicators and targets to monitor Gender Mainstreaming incorporated systematically into monitoring frameworks/ mechanisms? • Are management and all employees aware of their own accountabilities for mainstreaming gender? • What is the image of the entity among stakeholders regarding gender issues? • Has the entity supported stakeholders capacity development on gender equality, and on gender balance? How? If not, why not? • Does the entity’s communication strategies include specific provisions on eliminating bias and stereotypes that support gender discrimination? • Do men and women participate equally in decision-making? • Who is involved in developing the gender policy for the entity? Is it always the same person(s)? • Are initiatives encouraged to be taken by managers to help women to break through the so called glass ceiling? What are they? • Are recruitment and selection procedures transparent and gender-sensitive for all types of jobs? • Who exerts most influence in the entity when it comes to whether or not gender issues are taken up or neglected?
Part Two: The Implementation Process before the start of the PGR • A senior management executive within the reviewed entity is designated as the PGR Coordinator. This person is responsible for ensuring the overall success of the PGR and ensuring that the report is correctly addressed by senior management. The facilitators send out the Gender Survey to the agreed number of employees. The method of receiving the survey back is agreed to. The intention of the survey is to establish a baseline of the knowledge and perceptions of the employees regarding gender issues at varying levels. As the survey is anonymous it gives a true reflection of perceptions of gender issues.
• The facilitators request any information and documentation required for the Gender Level Analysis. Some documents may be confidential or sensitive, this however is dealt with. • The PGR facilitation team meets to discuss practicalities. • Gender Survey and Gender Level Analysis carried out and outcomes discussed within the team (continuous throughout the PGR). At the beginning of the PGR • Review facilitation team meets the PGR Co-ordinator to co-ordinate the PGR; During the PGR • Semi-structured interviews carried out with selected employees; • Employee workshops are conducted; • Consultations/interviews are carried out with service providers, customers and other stakeholders. At the end of the PGR • Preparation of executive summary of the review’s findings; • Debriefing of the PGR Co-ordinator; • Feedback session. After the PGR • Draft the executive summary and PGR report; • Follow-up on review recommendations. The Gender Survey The gender survey is a set of 69 questions that are sent out to a designated proportion of the employees. The survey sets a “benchmark within a benchmark” ; Questions include; Do you have diversity/transformation in your organisation that is either exclusively gender based or relate to gender and other diversity/transformation issues? Yes, more than one programme Yes No Women receiving less money than men for the same work is a problem in? Q21 The developed world The developing world About the same all over It is not a problem anywhere Non-executive directors should be rotated frequently to allow women more access to the board. Q25 I strongly agree with this statement I agree with this statement I strongly disagree with this statement I disagree with this statement What is happening with gender diversity internationally has an impact on South African companies. Q26 I strongly agree with this statement I agree with this statement I strongly disagree with this statement I disagree with this statement
Q14
Gender diversity at senior management and board level would improve the corporate governance of the organisation. I strongly agree with this statement I agree with this statement I strongly disagree with this statement I disagree with this statement The famous “glass ceiling” does not actually exist. Q33 I strongly agree with this statement I agree with this statement I strongly disagree with this statement I disagree with this statement
Q28
Gender Level Analysis What is a Gender Level Analysis? The Gender Level Analysis is one of the principal sources of information for the gender assessment of an entity and its programmes. Not only does it provide factual and quantitative information but it also serves to cross-check the qualitative self-assessments and viewpoints expressed in individual interviews, self-assessment questionnaires and participatory group discussions. The analysis is a series of 103 questions, some of which require the production of documentary evidence. The analysis is based on the Business Engage Gender Mainstreaming Best Practices – A Guide for the Private Sector in South Africa and is split into the following sections; 1. Pre-Review Information 2. The Board Gender Mainstreaming on boards 3. Integrated Reporting 4. Internal Relationships 5. Recruit and Retain 6. Gender Forums 7. External Relationships 8. General The purpose of a Gender Level Analysis is threefold: • It provides factual and verifiable information to be used as baseline data to complement the results of the PGR interviews and workshops (triangulation); • The information that it generates feeds into the participatory process as material for discussion and appraisal by participants; and • The Gender Level Analysis establishes a benchmark for Gender Mainstreaming in future documents.
1. The questions are short and easy – the answers may be long and complex. 2. Some answers may be confidential. That confidentiality will be maintained. 3. There are no right or wrong answers. The entity cannot fail. 4. It is intended that this analysis is done annually in order to measure progress. 5. There may be an initial blurring between the use of the words gender “diversity” and “mainstreaming”. Questions include the following;
GA005
Does the board have an existing strategy on Gender Mainstreaming?
GA011
Do you have a social & ethics committee?
GA012
If so, has your social and ethics committee deliberated on Gender Mainstreaming?
GA017
Do you rotate non-executive directors in line with King 3 recommendations?
GA026
What is the role of alternate directors?
GA031
Do you consider that your sector has specific gender difficulties?
GA034
Do you run a sponsorship programme?
GA048
Do you ensure that women get critical experiences in core positions?
GA052
Do you have gender programmes?
GA053
Are these programmes for women only?
GA057
Do you provide or have you previously provided unconscious bias training?
GA061
Are women encouraged to apply for roles which they may normally not apply for but which others see potential in?
GA067
Do you offer job opportunities?
GA074
Do you have a women’s networking forum of any description?
GA081
Do you consider the gender of the auditor when rotating auditors?
GA084
Do you require executive search and recruitment firms to provide a required number of women candidates for each management level?
GA088
Do you strive to support women led entrepreneurship?
Individual Interviews The semi-structured interviews are an extremely important part of the review process. They provide the opportunity to explore individual perceptions in a safe space and to amass a wealth of information to complement the findings from the Gender Level Analysis. Two interviewers should be assigned to one interviewee. Two sets of ears and eyes will capture more than one, and there is much less possibility for misinterpreting the interviewee. The interviews should be scheduled for 45 minutes to one hour, with enough time in between for facilitators to have a break. The break can also be used to discuss key impressions and to quickly review the interview notes. It is best not to over-schedule interviews – four interviews per day should be the norm for each interviewer (two in the morning and two in the afternoon). A diverse selection of employees is made for the interviews. Employees should be given the opportunity to be interviewed if they express to the team that they have an important contribution to make. Develop a set of core questions The review facilitation team plans a set of core questions for all interviewees so that certain findings can be corroborated or challenged. The Gender Level Analysis serves as another basis for formulating core questions. It is important to start the Gender Level Review prior to embarking on the semi-structured interviews where possible because it will undoubtedly point to areas that need further probing on gender issues. It should also provide ample material for planning and developing sets of questions that the facilitators can use in their interviews. The guiding questions offered for the five Key Areas for analysis can also help in formulating a set of questions. Confidentiality versus anonymity When setting up the interviews facilitators explain to the employee that their contributions are anonymous – employees will not be quoted by name and the source of their contribution will not be revealed to superiors or recorded in the report. However, there is a distinction to be made between preserving the anonymity of sources and the confidentiality of the information gathered. Given that the purpose of the PGR is to gather information regarding an entity’s work on gender equality and one of the tools at the disposal of the facilitators is the interview process, the information is not deemed confidential if it is to be recorded in the overall findings of the review.
Part Three: The Facilitator’s Workshops Preparing and conducting the workshops The workshops are organised as soon as the majority of the interviews are completed. The Gender Survey, Gender Level Analysis and the interviews will have provided a great deal of insight into the true dynamics of the entity, and the issues that may need further probing will have surfaced. Most often the workshop is conducted with a wide range of employees of the entity. This integrated approach yields good results and also bolsters team spirit within the entity. The reluctance of some employees to speak freely in front of managers is most often off-set by conducting work in sub-groups so that results are presented by the sub-group and no one individual stands out. • Team members with strong facilitation skills and experience can take the lead during this stage of the review; • Co-facilitators may be designated for different exercises to provide the workshop participants with a variety of styles and approaches; • Some team members co-facilitate “from the side”, contributing expertise and ensuring that certain issues get addressed. Others play “devil’s advocate” to animate the discussions; • All the facilitators should observe the group dynamics among the participants and assess the general mood of the workshop. Non-verbal messages and body language can reveal a great deal; • All the tasks can be rotated among the facilitators; • Debriefing meetings among facilitators are held at the end of each workshop day; • A workshop agenda is prepared and distributed to ensure that facilitators organise their time judiciously. One of the main roles of the PGR facilitators is to create an encouraging environment for reflection, analysis and open discussions on the challenges and opportunities faced by the reviewed entity in mainstreaming gender in its work. They should promote a climate of openness and participation by keeping the session’s fun and interactive, minimizing personality and hierarchy issues, and encouraging opinions that differ from those of the “leader”. It is extremely important to ensure that the review facilitators understand and internalize the following basics of this participatory methodology: • Encourage discussions of opposing views; facilitators must be willing to gently mediate when necessary in order to carry the dialogue forward. For example, a facilitator may suggest that conflicting opinions of participants are of equal merit and thus each will be documented, and then proceed to ask the next question. A more experienced facilitator may introduce related questions to the unresolved issue in order to advance discussion towards a consensus that is multi-dimensional and accommodates differing views among the participants;
• Utilise good communication and be able to clarify or simplify questions. The facilitator should encourage the participation, contributions and inputs of all members of the group, rather than allow just one or two members to dominate the discussion or answer for the group. This may mean that, at times, the facilitator will invite some participants explicitly for their opinion and thoughts, and may ask others to give ‘speaking time’ to others who have not yet given their views; • Encourage reflection and allow for periods of silence between the question and answers, to enable participants to think about their experiences in relation to the question; • Re-iterate throughout the discussion that there are no ‘right or wrong answers’ so as to ensure that a tone of openness is maintained; • Instil a strong feeling of respect throughout the group interactions. This means avoiding sweeping statements or acceptance of existing gender stereotypes and drawing out the expression of the minority perspectives of either women, men or any other groups; Facilitators would remind workshop participants that the PGR workshop is not a training workshop on Gender Mainstreaming. The purpose of the workshop is to collect material to feed into the review findings in order to supplement the information from the Gender survey, the Gender Level Analysis and interviews. In addition, facilitators can also gauge the ease and openness of interaction between entity colleagues on gender issues in the workshop. Undoubtedly some capacity-building on Gender Mainstreaming is transmitted when going through the workshop exercises. This is one of the welcome side-benefits of the workshop but it is not the primary purpose. Workshop exercises The workshop ensures that certain key concepts are emphasised and that similar information is gathered from each PGR to establish comparative baselines. Awareness of gender issues in the entity is generated and valuable information for the PGR is obtained. The exercises vary in length, complexity of execution and degree of information generated. A typical PGR workshop does not allow for all exercises to be conducted. Therefore, their selection and use is left to the discretion of the review facilitation team. Factors that can inform the team’s choice include the need for additional information, the skills and preferences of the facilitators, or the time available in the workshop agenda. For example, if more information is needed on the entity’s partnerships on promoting gender equality, then the Venn Diagram exercise could be considered. If additional material is necessary to understand the organisational culture of the entity in respect to gender issues, then Hofstede’s Onion would be suitable.
The workshop exercises comprise: 1
Historical timeline This exercise illustrates and underpins the review findings and recommendations. • Current gender status in the entity • Current gender status in the entity • Existing gender expertise and competence and capacity building • Mainstreaming of gender equality as a cross-cutting concern in the entity’s strategic objectives, programme and budget • Mainstreaming of gender equality in the implementation of programmes and technical co-operation activities • Systems and instruments in use such as planning/monitoring • Information and knowledge management • Gender equality policy as reflected in the entity’s products and public image • Decision-making on Gender Mainstreaming in the entity’s staffing and human resources • Organisational culture • Perception of achievement on gender equality
2
Gender knowledge and awareness • Existing gender expertise and competence and capacity building • Mainstreaming of gender equality as a cross-cutting concern in the entity’s strategic objectives, programme and budget • Information and knowledge management
3
Evaluating Gender Mainstreaming in programme design, implementation and monitoring. • Mainstreaming of gender equality in the entity’s strategic objectives, policies, programmes and budget • Mainstreaming of gender equality in implementation of programmes and technical co-operation activities • Systems and instruments in use for accountability, evaluating and monitoring on gender equality • Selection of service providers
4
Hofstede’s Onion/Organisational culture. • Existing gender expertise and competence and capacity building • Information and knowledge management • Staffing and human resources • Organisational culture • Perception of achievement on gender equality
5
SWOT analysis. • Existing gender expertise, competence and capacity building • Mainstreaming of gender equality as a cross-cutting concern in the entity’s strategic objectives, programme and budget • Mainstreaming of gender equality in the implementation of programmes and technical co-operation activities • The entity’s gender equality policy as reflected in its products and public image • Information and knowledge management
6
Venn diagram. • Existing gender expertise and competence and capacity building • Choice of service providers • The entity’s gender equality policy as reflected in its products and its public image
7
Ideal entity • Existing gender expertise and competence and capacity building • Information and knowledge management • Staffing and human resources • Organisational culture • Perception of achievement on gender equality
8
Barrier analysis • Elements from this exercise may contribute to all five Key Areas of analysis
9
Gender Equality Questionarre (not to be confused with the Gender Survey) • Existing gender expertise and competence and capacity building • Mainstreaming of gender equality as a cross-cutting concern in the entity’s strategic objectives, and programme and budget • Systems and instruments in use such as planning/monitoring • Mainstreaming of gender equality in the implementation of the entity’s programmes and technical co-operation activities • Choice of stakeholders • Information and knowledge management • Gender as reflected in the entity’s products and public image • Staffing and human resources. • Organisational culture
Part Four : Feedback And Reporting At the end of the review A key step in the review process is the preparation of the executive summary of the PGR report. While it may take some time to prepare the full report, a short summary focuses the gender review facilitation team on the major points that need to be highlighted. The executive summary is used in the debriefing with the PGR Co-ordinator. In general, the facilitation team decides on the contents of the executive summary. In order to create a balanced approach to the Gender Mainstreaming efforts undertaken by the entity, point out Key Areas of good practice in Gender Mainstreaming as well as Key Areas for improvement. A summary of recommendations also helps guide the entity towards positive future action.
Debriefing the PGR Co-ordinator The findings of gender reviews may sometimes be inconsistent with the impressions of the entity concerning work accomplished on gender issues. In addition, they may not necessarily have a common understanding of these issues. Therefore, some of the team’s conclusions may come as a surprise to the entity, in which case the analysis will need explanation before the conclusions are readily accepted. It is important, therefore, that the facilitation team: • Go over the presentation with the PGR Co-ordinator prior to compiling the report in order that he/she may become familiar with the overall results of the review and the recommendations proposed by the facilitation team; • Create a positive climate to ensure that the director can identify with the recommendations. After the review A final report written by the facilitation team is the basis for subsequent action by the entity. This report is the main output of the PGR; it includes the main findings of the assessment, highlights the good practices and proposes recommendations for performance improvement and concrete actions to follow up by the work entity. The findings need to be systematically presented under the five Key Areas of Analysis with recommendations that are rooted in the relevant findings. The facilitation team writes the report on the basis of the outcomes of the activities carried out during the review process. The PGR Co-ordinator is responsible for giving effect to the recommendations contained in the report and for monitoring improvement in Gender Mainstreaming. A question of tone: Being positive is constructive Understandably, reports that are positive in tone are much more appreciated than those that are negative. This does not mean that the integrity of the feedback should be compromised, only that the same message is presented from the perspective of solutions.