For anyone working in the field of gender mainstreaming, resistance is most likely something they have encountered more than once. Depending on the type of an organization and the scale and scope of work needed for gender mainstreaming, resistance is likely to manifest in one form or another.

Resistance to gender mainstreaming can either come from inside of the organization from colleagues or managers, or it can be external - for example from external stakeholders you are working with. Some resistance to gender work is passive - staff not actively supporting gender mainstreaming actions, but not strictly or vocally opposing it either. Or it can be active (which is more rare), where staff take an active stance against gender equality and gender mainstreaming work. I have encountered both on numerous occasions (as I am sure most gender experts out there have!).

Here’s what resistance most often looks like:

1) Marginalization

Marginalizing the Gender adviser/officer/expert/focal point, for example by not providing them with the information or resources to perform their work, not engaging with them or providing answers to their requests or questions, or fiddling with your phones or laptops when the Gender Adviser is speaking (and noting that this form of marginalization or dismissive behaviour rarely happens with other subject matter experts).

2) Exclusion

Actively excluding gender experts - this can mean being excluded from meetings where important decisions are made, keeping important information, not copying them in relevant emails, receiving information too late, sidelining and not including those with official gender mainstreaming roles to decision-making processes.

3) Diminishing commentary and avoidance

These can take the form of questioning the expertise or usefulness of the Gender Adviser (but generally never other subject matter experts), referring to reasons like “gender mainstreaming destroys our culture/is a Western concept only”, or “we are too busy to deal with these issues now, there are more pressing matters for our organization”. You can also be “nick-named” as the “Gender Police” or receive verbal insults, or the lack of understanding of staff for gender mainstreaming issues can be pinpointed to your poor performance (instead of pointing to the responsibility of all staff members to actively take action to increase their understanding of gender mainstreaming in their work area.)

Why is there so much resistance to gender mainstreaming?

Resistance to gender mainstreaming generally has many roots, most of which are not clearly visible to the outside. To effectively deal with resistance, it is important to know where it’s coming from and what is behind it.

These are some of the most common reasons behind resistance:

1) Lack of knowledge and understanding of “gender”

This is probably one of the most common reasons behind resistance. Staff generally passively or actively resist gender mainstreaming because they might not fully understand what it means or how to implement it. They might feel threatened by the concept as their skills seem to be undermined, or they don’t see it as relevant to anything they do.

2) Believing that gender mainstreaming threatens their personal belief systems

This is a common source of resistance - some colleagues might also feel that the “gender equality agenda” is externally imposed, and it threatens their personal belief systems (these don’t necessarily need to tie in with any particular culture or religion).

3) Not seeing the point in gender mainstreaming

This is often linked with points 1 & 2. Colleagues and managers might feel that gender mainstreaming is the responsibility of the designated “gender person”, be it a focal point or adviser. They might feel they don’t have time to take on this “extra burdens” on top of their “actual work duties”. Or they might simply not see how gender equality relates to their function or work in any way.

How do you deal with resistance?

The good news is - there are ways to deal with this resistance!

There are multiple strategies out there, and ultimately it comes down to understanding the source of the resistance.

Here are my top-3 strategies:

1) Understand the “why”

Without understanding the “why”, it is difficult to devise appropriate, effective strategies to counter resistance. To dive deep into the “why” behind the resistance, it helps to try to have open, friendly discussions with as many colleagues as possible at different levels. Have a coffee, chat about it. Organizational gender audits and assessments, carried out through surveys, focus groups and interviews, are also effective in shedding light on the underlying problems and obstacles in the way of gender mainstreaming.

2) Use the values-based “it’s the right thing to do” reasoning

This seems to be a no-brainer for a lot of people but still something that needs to be explicitly emphasized quite often. Gender equality is a human right. Period. No matter what organization or company you are currently working in, it is highly likely that they officially subscribe to gender equality and equity in their official strategies, mission statements and vision. As such, all people working for these organizations are responsible for upholding this vision and integrating gender in their work. Show that gender mainstreaming is not really optimal or up to their personal preferences.

As a former head of a UN country office once eloquently put it in our joint all-staff meeting in Afghanistan: “If you want to work for the UN, you need to subscribe to the shared UN values, which includes gender equality and respect for women’s rights. If you don’t, you are free to leave.” Simple.

3) Explain why gender mainstreaming is also the “smart thing” to do - show the results

The first approach might not work with everyone if they don’t share the values of gender equality as a basic human right that their work should also promote (!). Show colleagues why it matters and how it makes their work more effective.

To deal with resistance, it is important to invest in proper training of staff members and meet them at their level. Use practical examples and case studies as much as possible and make it relevant for their work. Don’t patronize. Show how gender mainstreaming can help them in their work. Make it easy for them by providing supportive tools like gender checklists, Q&As and fact sheets. Work with senior management to ensure they reinforce messaging about gender. If the organization is reliant on donor funding, an effective argument is also pointing out that most donor funding these days is tied into demonstrable results for gender (not my number 1 argument to use, but it works.) When you are able to show the concrete results and benefits gender mainstreaming brings, it is often easier for people to accept it.

+1 Leave!

This is not my number 1 suggested option for dealing with resistance, but it is an option. If, as a gender expert, you have given your work 100% and tried all the above strategies (and more), and your daily work feels like you are on a battle field without any support, and you spend most of your work hours trying to convince colleagues why they should take gender seriously, something is wrong.

If you feel you have exhausted all your options, and don’t receive the support from management that is needed for carrying out your work, there is no reason to stay in your role just to continue being miserable. As a gender expert, you bring immense value to an organization, and there are many other options out there that might be a better fit - organizations that walk the talk and provide the infrastructure and support that is needed for gender mainstreaming.

Nobody can do it alone, and it is not fair to expect that of yourself. If your work is consistently undervalued and resisted despite your best efforts, know that many organizations will be lucky to have you and support you. Dealing with resistance requires patience, but stretching to your limits takes away from the incredible results you could be achieving for gender equality in the right setting.

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How to handle resistance to gender mainstreaming