Gender Equity Toolkit

This Gender Equity Toolkit has been developed by the Asia Pacific Greens Federation Women’s Network (APGFWN) with the Australian Greens’ International Development Committee to help Asia Pacific Greens Federation (APGF) member parties increase women’s political participation, leadership and electoral success in their respective Greens parties. The APGF understands gender equity as fair treatment for women and men, according to their respective needs. This can be equal treatment or different treatment as long as both men and women have the same rights, benefits, obligations and opportunities. 

The toolkit firstly identifies key issues, challenges and discrimination that women face on a daily basis in the Asia Pacific. These issues include and relate to violence against women, poverty, social and cultural norms, education, political leadership and decision-making, health, sexual and reproductive care, employment, the environment, the law and lack of gender data. These issues represent barriers to achieving gender equity. 

The women and gender equity policy commits Greens parties to improving gender equity and ensuring women’s equal representation, participation and leadership in all aspects of society. It identifies policies that Greens parties can implement to improve women’s rights and equity related to discrimination, political rights, policy development, education, marriage and family relations, sexual and reproductive health, violence and women’s safety, employment, sex workers, Indigenous/Tribal women, rural women, the portrayal of women and women and the media. 

The toolkit includes structures that APGF member parties can implement within their internal party constitution, rules, bylaws or operational policies to improve and enable women’s full political leadership and participation. Structures include a gender equity statement, equal recruitment practices and representation, a code of conduct and complaint and monitoring process, a gender audit, a gender action plan, women’s wings and gender quotas. 

Similarly, the toolkit identifies actions which APGF member parties can implement to improve the training, recruitment and success of women members and candidates. These actions include mentoring programs, training programs, gender equity and gender sensitivity training, electoral campaigning strategies and collaboration.

As agreed by APGF members in December 2018, the Gender Equity Roadmap outlines APGF commitments and goals to improve Gender Equity. The roadmap includes an APGF framework to help create Gender Equity plans for members as well as a Gender Equity 3-year action plan that provides steps and sets out goals for improving women’s participation, leadership and policy development. 

APGFWN and APGF case studies are included in this toolkit to share the experiences and lessons learnt from Greens parties in the region. Finally, a list of useful resources related to gender audits and gender action plans, gender equity and gender sensitivity training and women’s rights and issues is included to assist APGF members achieve their Gender Equity goals. 

The Asia Pacific Greens Federation Women’s Network (APGFWN), Asia Pacific Greens Federation (APGF) and its member Parties are committed to Gender Equity. This includes supporting women to become Greens party members, to undertake leadership roles, and to participate confidently in the political activities of their respective countries. APGF understands gender equity to mean fair treatment for women and men, according to their respective needs. This can be equal treatment or different treatment as long as both men and women have the same rights, benefits, obligations and opportunities. 

This Gender Equity Toolkit has been developed by the APGFWN with the Australian Greens’ International Development Committee to help APGF member parties increase women’s participation, leadership and electoral success in their respective Greens parties. Members can use this Toolkit to: 

• Improve understanding of Gender Equity
• Put structures in place to increase women’s political participation and leadership
• Develop policies relevant to and inclusive of women
• Take action to support women to join and actively participate in Greens parties as well as stand for and be elected to public office