Integrating Gender

In 2018, we commissioned a Gender Review and Action Plan to support the integration of gender across our company's policies, programmes and organisational culture. Staff from across the Group participated in this review and shared their experiences, aspirations and concerns. One of the key recommendations of the report was that there was a need to roll out a gender training, learning and development plan to support our staff to integrate gender into their daily work.

The first training took place this week for ten male and ten female staff in Amman, Jordan. It took an interactive ‘gender transformative’ approach to allow participants to explore their own gender beliefs and behaviours and to develop the knowledge and skills to integrate gender into their work. It also incorporated time to discuss the results of the Gender Review and our new Gender Vision, Policy and Action Plan. Our outstanding facilitators Dr Lyndsay McLean and Suhail Abu Alsameed are now with our Palestinian and Lebanese colleagues conducting a similar three day event in Beirut, before they move on to ensure all staff in all practice areas have had a chance to participate and contribute.

The interactive training explored definitions of gender (including in relation to equality, equity and justice) and broadened out to take an intersectional perspective linking race, class, politics and faith identities, amongst others. We also reflected on our own organisational culture to ensure we are speaking frankly about issues such as perceived or actual gender pay gaps, stereotypes, discrimination and everyday sexism in the workplace.

Gender training must not be a one-off, box ticking exercise. Integrating gender ensures we work in an an organisational setting that respects, supports and enables all employees, partners and beneficiaries, and contributes to a world that promotes equal and equitable opportunities for all.