Gender Audit Manual for Promotion of Gender Equality at Workplace

International Labour Organisation (ILO) Subregional Office for South Asia will launch the ILO Gender Audit Manual at ‘Maharani’, The Claridges hotel on Friday the 11th of July 2008 at 0900 hours.

All over the world, women are increasingly participating in the labour market. In South Asia, women have a large presence in key growth sectors, such as manufacturing and IT/IT enabled sectors. Women are also emerging as key work force in agriculture as men migrate out in search of employment.

There is an acknowledgement that increasingly the women are the backbones of the economies in South Asia. This is also reflected in the 11th Five Year Plan of India, which hails women as agents of economic and social growth.

In the scenario, the Employers’ Organisations have a significant role in ensuring that jobs created are of good quality, productive and provide equal opportunities for both women and men. Towards this end, the employers are increasing their efforts to create gender sensitive workplaces to help employees maximize their potential and productivity.

One of the methods promoted by the ILO for promoting gender sensitive workplaces is a Participatory Gender Audit, which enables the audited unit develop its capacity to fully understand the gender dimensions at work.

Following the launch, the Council of Indian Employers (CIE), including the Standing Conference of Public Sector Enterprises (SCOPE), along with Employers’ Organisations from Bangladesh and Nepal and civil society organisations in South Asia will participate in the panel discussion on the role of Gender Audits and Workplace Gender Equality Promotion. The speakers, who have participated in the 3-day consultation on the Gender Audit Methodology, will share their views on how they can use it to promote gender sensitive workplace.

Source: ILO Press Statement
For further information please contact: neelam@ilodel.org.in