Policy brief

Towards Gender Justice in Higher Education Institutions Piloting ILO’s Participatory Gender Audit tool at Birzeit University

Between 2013 and 2015, the Institute of Women’s Studies at Birzeit University, in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO), carried out a Participatory Gender Audit to map the institutional gender gaps and highlight the different patterns and forms of discrimination facing women at the university.

In the OPT, the ILO is working to improve access to equal employment opportunities for women through the creation of decent jobs, and improvement of working conditions, as well as legal, economic and social empowerment. Using a participatory approach, the ILO provides support to stakeholders to perform gender evaluations and formulate evidence-based policies that empower women in the OPT to organize and enter the workplace.

This policy brief highlights the research findings and recommendations of the Participatory Gender Audit carried out by the Institute of Women’s Studies at Birzeit University, in collaboration with the ILO. The audit assessed the extent to which internal university policies, regulations and practices enhance or inhibit gender equality, and identified the ways in which they impact on women’s participation, representation and career advancement.