Gender-Aware Guidelines for Policy-making and Regulatory Agencies

Gender-aware guidelines for policy-making and regulatory agencies are intended to assist decision makers to conduct their work in such a way that both women and men are considered in the process – both as part of the processes themselves as well as in considering the impact of decisions made. It has been clear from years of experience that so-called gender-neutral policies or rules are not enough. The evidence lies in the facts: women are vastly under-represented in government, business, political and social institutions; men still hold most of the management and control positions in telecommunication companies and regulatory or policy making bodies; regulatory decisions are made without any impact analysis; service licenses are attributed to companies without equal opportunity policies and controlled mostly by men.
The following are a set of guidelines, with a brief discussion of each point. These should be used to ensure that gender analysis becomes an integral part of licensing and regulatory activities. Successful implementation of these guidelines requires the development and promotion of new policies within the institutions seeking transformation into a gender-aware environment, e.g., acceptance of these guidelines,
in total or in partial form, as part of the institution’s rules of conduct. The process of implementing these guidelines should also be conducted with full participation of all parties, and, if possible, with participation of gender experts (e.g., from Gender Units or consultants in the area) to ensure full understanding of the issues and avoid unproductive resistance to the process.