Beyond a great attention in terms of public opinion and general strategies, mainstreaming gender equality both in terms of policy and practices, in education and employment systems, seems still for a distant future.

A common understanding of the core multi-faceted phenomena and concepts involved is still a challenge. Gender seen as a social construct is closely linked to (the creation of) identity, to social expectations and role assignments, and the extent to which these are “performed” and questioned (Source: Adult learning and gender, EAEA Background paper, 2020). 

Another important phenomenon linked to gender equality is sexism, "which refers to any expression (act, word, image, gesture) based on the idea that some persons, most often women, are inferior because of their sex […]. Sexism lies at the root of gender inequality." (Source: Sexism: See it. Name it. Stop it,  Council of Europe). 

Furthermore, according to the European Institute for Gender Equality 

Gender mainstreaming has been embraced internationally as a strategy towards realising gender equality. It involves the integration of a gender perspective into the preparation, design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies, regulatory measures and spending programmes, with a view to promoting equality between women and men, and combating discrimination (Source: What is gender mainstreaming?  EIGE – European Institute for Gender Equality). 

And finally, it is important to remark again that these challenges need to be tackled within the perspective of intersectionality, which the EIGE again defines as "analytical tool for studying, understanding and responding to the ways in which sex and gender intersect with other personal characteristics/identities, and how these intersections contribute to unique experiences of discrimination" (Source: EIGE Thesaurus).

Women's (right to) access and re-access education and employment is still very much influenced by social challenges and contextual factors, which often limits women's educational and professional choices and paths. Often the recognition of the right to self-determination and the role in society is as important as the recognition of prior learning and acquisition of new competences. In this context, then, dedicated outreach strategies and personalized services (orientation, guided assessment etc.) become key steps to re-enter education and labour market rather than simply side measures.

Social challenges and contextual factors seem to have still a significant impact on women (equal) access to education and employment

According to the Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025 of the European Commission, in relation with 2020 data about access and equality in employment, women employment rates are still lower than men, with lower average salary and pensions and with 75% of unpaid care and domestic work done by women. (Source: Striving for a Union of Equality, The Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025 , European Commission, 2020).

As for the 2023 UN Gender Social Norms Index, which identifies biases against women based on 4 dimensions (political, educational, economic and physical integrity), a majority of the world population still have fundamental biases against women, for example considering that men are better than women in leading positions in politics and business (Source: 2023 Gender Social Norms Index (GSNI)  - Breaking down gender biases: Shifting social norms towards gender equality, UNDP 2023).

Finally, also in line with the previous considerations, while progress is made year after year, the European Gender Equality Index for 2023 is still at 70.2 points (European average), with gender inequalities being most pronounced in the domain of power (59.1 points) and with the sub-domain of economic decision-making at only 54.7 points (Source: Gender Equality Index 2023, European Institute for Gender Equality).

Recognition of self-determination right and of role in the social system is as important as acquisition of competences 

When it comes to education and employment, gender constructs affect learning processes, education spaces and workplace dynamics, as any other sphere of life. Gender sensitivity in adult learning and employment services and environments is about more than trying to improve targeted outreach programmes for men and women to improve participation in ALE. Gender sensitive opportunities aim at improving engagement also improving the overall experience of participating in learning activities and employment and career services (tackling stereotypes, building a safe space, support motivation, create opportunity for socialization and social support networks etc.).

In our view, initiatives that aim to support more women (and more citizens in general) to access and re-access education and employment should focus on gender equality and mainstreaming as transversal and core process and should tackle all these phenomena in their complexity, across all spheres of life.

A good example in this direction is the Council of Europe's Stop Sexism Project. In March 2019, the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers adopted the Recommendation CM/Rec(2019)1 on Preventing and Combating Sexism. The project offers a comprehensive catalogue of measures both to prevent and to condemn sexism, calling for specific action in specific areas: language and communications; internet and social media; media, advertising and other communication methods; workplace, public sector; justice sector, education institutions, culture and sport; and the private sphere (Source: Council of Europe).

Another example is the Men Engage Alliance - Working with men and boys for gender equality . MenEngage Europe (MEE) is one of six regional networks within the Men Engage Global Alliance. The MEE network brings together more than 100 European members across 33 countries, with a focus on men and boys to achieve gender justice. The core objective of the Alliance is to support understanding of how patriarchal masculinities maintain and deepen injustices, identify ways of challenging and transforming them, to support movements for gender justice, women’s rights, LGBTQI rights, racial justice, climate justice and other intersecting social justice issues.

Some initiatives address also specific audiences or focus on specific aspects of inclusion.

• The service and portal workingmums.co.uk, launched in 2006 aims to connect employers offering flexible full time, part time or home-based jobs with professional women seeking flexible positions. On top of offering active jobs board, franchise directory and community website, Working Mums also works with employers to share and celebrate best practice in gender diversity, flexible working, career progression for women, family support and returner programmes.
• The MOVE-UP project, co-funded by the European Union, developed a flexible and quality upskilling pathway for women who are dedicating most of their time and efforts to the role of mother and who are in need to (re)join education activities and the job market. The activities offered the opportunity of assessing and further developing the Personal, Social and Learning to Learn competences (PSL) acquired thanks to motherhood experience, both to develop key competences and to promote and facilitate the access to further training and employment opportunities. One the core aspect of the initiative was also to co-develop with practitioners a custom outreach strategy for its specific audience, which was also then tested in context with potential learners before full implementation (Source: MOVE-UP project ).
• Finally, as an example for initiatives supporting men's access to training, we can mention the Men’s Sheds Movement, a global non formal movement to support community learning spaces for men, such as the Irish Men Sheds Association. A men’s shed is a community-based project, where men can come together to learn, share skills and make long-lasting friendships together.

In conclusion, it seems that there is still a long journey to support gender mainstreaming transversally in education and employment policies and practices. At organisations level, for example, it is fundamental to design activities and services that build safe spaces for all and foster a sense of community, empowerment and confidence, with intersectionality perspective in mind. At system level, there is still a significant need to develop awareness for professionals in education, social and employment services and employers, about gender equality and stereotypes, as well as develop and implement regular capacity building programs for such professionals. In these efforts, both at systemic level and at organisations level, the adult learning sector has a core role to play in the years to come.

Related Resources on EPALE

• Summary of the EPALE Discussion - Gender equality and adult learning - and beyond - https://epale.ec.europa.eu/en/blog/gender-equality-and-adult-learning-and-beyond
• Flexible Learning Pathways for Gender Equality - https://epale.ec.europa.eu/en/blog/flexible-learning-pathways-gender-equality
• Empowering Unemployed Mothers: A New Self-Assessment and Evaluation Toolkit - https://epale.ec.europa.eu/en/resource-centre/content/empowering-unemployed-mothers-new-self-assessment-and-evaluation-toolkit