Strategic gender mainstreaming in Oxfam GB

This article describes and assesses a strategy to mainstream gender issues in the South America region of Oxfam GB. Interviews were held with a selection of programme staff to find out their opinions as to what progress had been achieved by the strategy, what challenges remain, and what major steps are required to improve gender mainstreaming.

Several recommendations are made on the basis of their responses:

• Gender mainstreaming must be addressed at the highest levels of the organisation to make it clear to all staff that working towards gender equality is an integral part of what Oxfam expects of them
• Gender equality should be explicitly part of agreed programme objectives so that staff see gender as a core part of their work rather than an add-on
• Regional staff must have a sense of ownership over the way gender concerns are integrated into their work. It is insufficient to simply provide staff with gender analysis and policy – instead they should develop these themselves in order to take them on board in their planning and programme management.

The paper concludes that only if gender equality is made integral to personal performance objectives and is constantly reiterated by managers as important will staff be inspired to take action.

Summary written in collaboration with BRIDGE and Siyanda