Evolving the Gender Agenda: The Responsibilities and Challenges for Development Organisations

If gender equality is necessary for sustainable development, why are so few men in development organisations working on gender issues? This paper describes internal lobbying and capacity-building initiatives within the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the UK-based NGO, Oxfam GB. These initiatives are, respectively, the UN Working Group on Men and Gender Equality, and the Gender Equality and Men (GEM) project. The paper highlights the constraints - conceptual, structural, policy and personal - to greater male involvement. It argues that in order to overcome these constraints, development organisations should lead by example in implementing organisational policies in relation to, for example, paternity and maternity leave, flexible working hours for both women and men, childcare provision (with male and female staff), and sexual harassment. Special attention should be given to policies that encourage more flexible gender roles, such as increased opportunities for childcare for men. To ensure fertile ground for these policies to take root, it is important that more senior managers, particularly men, become involved as active champions in the cause of gender equality. Male managers as positive gender self-aware role models are key to changing the attitudes of those who may be unsure or ambivalent about new gender policies.