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Link profile: Guide to Best Practices in Gender Analysis
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As British Columbia’s Minister of State for Women’s Equality, I am pleased to present the Guide to Best Practices in Gender Analysis to ministries across government. This guide outlines the process and value of incorporating gender analysis in policy development, and will assist ministries in ensuring that new policies and programs do not disadvantage women. Although women and men have more opportunities and choices than they had in the past, statistics show that there are still significant differences in their roles and responsibilities: women earn an average of 72 cents for every dollar a man earns; women continue to carry most of the responsibility for their families; research into women’s health issues lags far behind men’s; and domestic violence is an issue many women continue to live with. Because of these differences, government policies and programs do not affect women and men exactly the same way. As a result, policies, programs and legislation that do not take gender into account may not have the desired outcome and can be very costly for government and society. Gender analysis assists in evaluating the potential impacts of programs and policies on both women and men, and is an integral part of developing government policies and programs. Gender analysis can: • heighten analysts’ awareness and skills in addressing complex social and economic issues; • help create a more open and transparent policy process by challenging hidden assumptions; • help ensure that the abstract goals of a policy consider the people who will be affected; • help ensure that policies can be effectively implemented; • inform responsible decision-making; and • help ensure more efficient and effective use of government resources by improving predictability of outcomes and accuracy of costings and projections. This guide outlines the steps used in developing policy, and shows how gender analysis can be integrated at each phase of the policy development cycle. It will also help government meet its New Era commitments to accountability, sound fiscal management and openness and transparency in the public policy process.
Added on: 16.06.2006 | hits: 1261