Achieving gender equality requires political commitment, a concrete demonstration of which is policy. Policies are more than grand visions for the future; they entail an operational strategic plan and ensure that organizations translate words into action on important issues.

A variety of policies can be used to ensure that gender equality is entrenched in parliament’s institutional practices. The global study on Gender-sensitive parliaments unearthed a common misconception that laws and targets aimed at simply increasing the number of women in parliament constitute a gender equality policy, that a gender equality policy is the same thing as a quota law, or indeed, a national (government-focused) gender agenda.

In reality, a gender equality policy may be described as a roadmap that sets forth parliament’s commitment to gender equality and identifies a clear set of objectives and processes to achieve it.

Gender policies in parliaments across the world

Codes of conduct were the most frequently cited policy instrument among the parliaments surveyed (52%). In some cases, the code of conduct took the form of guidelines (e.g. in Denmark and France), while in others, elements of the code are enforceable by law (e.g. in the Australian Senate). Most codes of conduct make no reference whatsoever to gender equality.

Slightly below 40 per cent of the parliaments surveyed reported that they had implemented a gender equality policy. Further investigation, however, revealed that in a number of cases, the gender equality policy was a clause in a national constitution providing for the equality of allcitizens.

Sexual harassment policies are the least common form of gender policy implemented in parliament, with less than 20 per cent of responding parliaments claiming they had one. Grievance procedures are equally sparse, although it is interesting to note that a variety of mechanisms have been implemented across the parliaments where such procedures do exist. Some parliaments use internal bodies to consider complaints, such as the Honour Council and Conduct Committee in Indonesia, and the Administrative Affairs Committee in Jordan. In Kuwait and Malaysia, the Speaker is responsible for considering and adjudicating such matters. Ideally, grievance mechanisms should be completely independent of the political process.

What can parliaments do?

Parliaments might consider establishing a gender policy that sets forth its commitment to gender equality and outlines a clear set of objectives and processes to achieve it. Under this overarching policy, there could be an array of related policies on the prevention of harassment, the equitable distribution of resources and allowances – including access to research services, computers and office space – and on expected behaviour, expressed in a code of conduct. Detailed plans of action would also help parliaments identify gaps in their legislation and overall policy objectives. This could involve an initial “gender audit” of what has been done and what remains to be done, as has been done in the Parliament of Rwanda.