This book offers an innovative rethinking of policy approaches to 'gender equality' and of the process of social change. It brings several new chapters together with a series of previously published articles to reflect on these topics. A particular focus is gender mainstreaming, a relatively recent development in equality policy in many industrialised and some industrialising countries, as well as in large international organisations such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the International Labour Organization. The book draws upon poststructuralist organisation and policy theory to argue that it is impossible to 'script' reform initiatives such as gender mainstreaming. As an alternative it recommends thinking about such policy developments as fields of contestation, shaped by on-the-ground political deliberations and practices, including the discursive practices that produce specific ways of understanding the 'problem' of 'gender inequality'. In addition to the new chapters the editors Bacchi and Eveline produce brief introductions for each chapter, tracing the development of their ideas over four years. Through these commentaries the book provides exciting insights into the complex processes of collaboration and theory generation. Mainstreaming Politics is a rich resource for both practitioners in the field and for theorists. In particular it will appeal to those interested in public policy, public administration, organisation studies, sociology, comparative politics and international studies.

This paper provides assistance in creating greater understanding of the mainstreaming approach and its practical implications and in identifying entry points for moving the analysis further in various concrete contexts.

Globally, women are facing social, economic, and cultural barriers impeding their autonomy and agency. Accelerated women empowerment programs often fail to attain their targets as envisaged by the policymakers due to a variety of reasons, with the most prominent being the deep-rooted cultural norms ingrained within society. In the era of globalization, empowerment of women demands new approaches and strategies that encourage the mainstreaming of gender equality as a societal norm. The Handbook of Research on New Dimensions of Gender Mainstreaming and Women Empowerment is a critical scholarly publication that examines global gender issues and new strategies for the promotion of women empowerment and gender mainstreaming in various spheres of women’s lives, including education and ICT, economic participation, health and sexuality, mental health, aging, law and judiciary, leadership, and decision making. It provides a comprehensive coverage of all major gender issues with novel ideas on gender mainstreaming being contributed by men and women authors from multidisciplinary backgrounds. Gender perspective and intersectional approach in the discourses make this handbook a unique contribution to the scholarship of social sciences and humanities. The book provides new theoretical inputs and practical directions to academicians, sociologists, social workers, psychologists, managers, lawyers, policy makers, and government officials in their efforts at gender mainstreaming. With a wide range of conceptual richness, this handbook is an excellent reference guide to students and researchers in programs pertaining to gender/women's studies, cultural studies, economics, sociology, social work, medicine, law, and management.

This book explores the issue of gender inequality through the lens of the Millennium Development Goals, particularly the first one of halving world poverty by 2015.

Articles discuss how gender mainstreaming has been understood in different organisations; provide examples of good work, which supports the empowerment of women; and look beyond gender mainstreaming to what new possibilities exist for transformation.

This is one of the sectoral guides which help to make up the Gender Management System (GMS) resource kit. GMS is an innovative system developed by the Commonwealth Secretariat for gender mainstreaming. This guide deals with how to mainstream gender issues in education.

In theory, the EU’s ‘Gender Mainstreaming’ policy should mark it out as a trail-blazer in gender equality, but gender equality activists in Europe confront a knotty problem; most civil servants and policy makers can’t understand how to ‘mainstream’ gender. Making Gender Equality Happen argues that we should take this problem seriously. In this book Cavaghan uncovers the social processes that make gender appear irrelevant to so many policy makers using a new method, gender knowledge contestation analysis. Building on this new perspective Cavaghan identifies: barriers to effective gender mainstreaming; mechanisms of resistance to gender mainstreaming; and the steps towards positive change, which gender mainstreaming can yield, even when results stop short of ‘transformation’. These findings present fresh perspectives for policy makers and activists aiming to make gender equality happen. Cavaghan’s new method also opens fresh avenues in feminist EU studies, which are particularly relevant in the wake of the financial crisis, as the EU seems to be stepping away from its commitments to gender equality.

* Shows how development agencies have responded to the need for gender equality at all levels of operation * Scrutinizes the efficacy of gender mainstreaming’s thirty-year history Gender mainstreaming emerged in early gender and development work and gained strength following the 1975 Conference on Women in Mexico City. After three decades of gender and development approaches, and a more recent emphasis on gender mainstreaming, Everywhere/Nowhere presents a timely reflection on the challenges and opportunities development agencies have faced as they attempt to translate gender mainstreaming policies into practice. Reports on gender mainstreaming within development agencies tend to concentrate on technical solutions with little attention to the political changes necessary for transforming the mainstream. Technical solutions (such as quantitative information about the number of female staff members hired or the allocation of a certain amount of resources to gender-related activities) are more frequently reported and more easily measured. An emphasis on technical solutions has resulted in limited impact within organizations and minimal changes to gender inequitable relations. Development agencies and their staff members are, however, finding innovative - or subtle - strategies to transform the mainstream through networking, coalition-building, and leadership initiatives. This book examines these approaches and analyses their contributions to gender mainstreaming.

Published in association with the United Nations, this book builds on the existing body of literature on gender and democratization by looking at the relevance of national machineries for the advancement of women. It considers the appropriate mechanisms through which the mainstreaming of gender can take place, and the levels of governance involved; defines what the interests of women are, and how and by what processes these interests are represented to the state policy making structures. Global strategies for the advancement of women are considered, and how far these have penetrated at national level, illuminated by a series of case studies - gender equality in Sweden and other Nordic countries, the Ugandan ministry of Gender, Culture and Social services, gender awareness in Central and Eastern Europe, and further examples from South Korea, the Lebanon, Beijing and Australia.

With gender equality so prominent in public debate, this timely book reviews the impacts of gender mainstreaming on political, social and cultural issues around Europe. It explores the origins and evolution of mainstreaming, the theory’s contribution to gender equality legislation so far and its potential to drive change in the future. Drawing on extensive data, the book compares and contrasts progress in various European countries, taking into account the multidimensionality of gender equality. Finally, the book considers the limits of gender mainstreaming amid economic, migration and political challenges. This important book is a welcome contribution to discussions about gender equality in European societies looking at the interplay of policies, culture and public opinion.