During the briefing on January 27, 2025, for NGOs in the Netherlands about the 69th UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), various experts presented their pitches with recommendations to the delegation for the upcoming CSW negotiations. Linda Senden and Mirella Visser were invited to present recommendations from RE-WIRING.
All institutions—in the broadest sense of the word, whether public or private—are gendered. This means that, even if they appear to be gender-neutral, they are still primarily organized based on and guided by standards set by and for men. As a result, female interests and qualities are undervalued or not valued at all. Differences in power and representation, discrimination, ideology, discourse/debate, and gender stereotyping are fundamental causes of gendered institutions and the gendered power hierarchies within them.
This applies not only to men and women but also to individuals with other gender identities. Moreover, gender never exists in isolation but always intersects with other human characteristics such as race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, age, disability etc. As a result, discrimination is often intersectional in nature.
Conscious or unconscious stereotypes, assumptions, and biases based on gender and other personal characteristics are embedded in all aspects of our institutions—in laws, policies, rules, and procedures; in how they are implemented in practice; in workplace behavior; in the digital domain; as well as in public and political discourse, media representation, and the arts. Effective change is only possible when action is taken simultaneously at the institutional, empirical, and symbolic levels.
Some structural biases are visible, but most remain hidden from those affected. For example, (expected) pregnancy or motherhood is rarely cited as a reason for not hiring a woman, yet it often plays a role behind closed doors in rejecting a candidate. Unequal pay cannot be detected if there is no transparency about salary policies. It is those in power who must address and rewire these systemic inequalities, rather than placing the burden on those who suffer from them.
The same applies to the assumptions underlying our laws and policies. Every policy area must be examined for its (intersectional) gender effects and framed in a way that combats inequality in society.
Recommendations from RE-WIRING:
- Addressing the root causes of gender inequality: Introduce and effectively apply gender impact assessments in legislation and policy.
- Strengthening the role of civil society: Enhance collaboration between academia and stakeholders by pooling expertise and improving partnerships.
Authors: Dr. Linda Senden (Utrecht University), Mirella Visser (Centre for Inclusive Leadership)
Leave a Reply