Gender mainsteaming and innovation in public services

Purpose and goal

The project aims to contribute to further development of gender mainstreaming in public sector organisations. Research questions is how gender mainstreaming is organized for steering, learning and development? The project studied how gender mainstreaming is expressed in systems of steering, how learning and support is organized and the content that gender equality is given and how it affects the organisation. By studying gender mainstreaming as a driving force for innovation, insights on the conditions for gender mainstreaming for achieving gender equality policies is gained.

Expected results and effects

The project has examined the development of control and monitoring systems of gender mainstreaming and how strategies for support and learning can be organized through ´active leadership´ and cross-organisation. Another results concerns how internal inequality regimes in organisations and processes of inequality in the output of public service is related. Results from the case studies and the learning network shows an increased knowledge and further development of methods and practices regarding the organization of gender mainstreaming in Swedish municipalities.

Planned approach and implementation

We conducted 3 case studies in 3 municipalities and coordinated a learning network with 30 participants from five municipalities, a rescue service and participants from Swedish Association of local Authorities and Regions (SKL). Results from the case studies where discussed in workshops. We see that the public sector is heavily influenced by reorganisations with a constant exchange of people, positions and competences. It is difficult to create stability in work and work for models where capacity and competence are seen as they can be built up and ´put in place´ once and for all.