Evaluating the gender sensitivity of parliaments: A self-assessment toolkit

The toolkit was designed in response to a growing desire among parliaments worldwide to improve how they advance gender equality and to be models to the communities they represent. It draws on the Inter-Parliamentary Union's (IPU) extensive experience supporting national parliaments on gender-sensitive reform.

To help parliaments evaluate how gender-sensitive they are, assess their current practices and policies, identify possible areas for reform, plan for change, and establish mechanisms to monitor progress - not to rank parliaments against one another.

The toolkit proposes sets of questions, tailored to each national context, designed to lead to open, constructive discussions. Each parliament finds its own way through the process, which requires strong leadership and commitment, the inclusion of both women and men, and a change in institutional culture.