KWDI Korean Women’s Development Institute

This study seeks methods to improve the effects of institutions of gender mainstreaming on gender equality. Gender impact analysis and assessment and gender-sensitive budgets are key tools of gender mainstreaming which aim to achieve gender equality in national programmes. The Basic Plan for Gender Equality Policy and the National Gender Equality Index are also strategies to resolve gender inequalities and gender issues in national policies. Combined, the goal of these four institutions of gender mainstreaming is to ensure a wide range of national policies are implemented in such a way as to enhance gender equality.

The Basic Plan for Gender Equality Policy includes a description of goals, visions and governmental tasks necessary to achieve a gender equal society, and the National Gender Equality Index assesses the realities faced by women in each sector of the society. The primary goal of this study is to seek ways in which the Basic Plan for Gender Equality Policy and the National Gender Equality Index can be linked to gender impact analysis and gender budgeting. It also puts forward gender equality goals based on the gender mainstreaming institutions for each of the major bodies subject to a pilot analysis, highlighting the need for government accountability for the successful implementation of gender equality policies.

Research methods include a review of the theories of gender mainstreaming, an analysis of data on (preliminary) gender equality goals as well as on the contents of programmes subject to gender impact analysis and gender budgets, a survey of public opinion, a delphi survey of experts, and the operation of working groups for the setting of gender equality goals in each department of the government. Research outcomes are as follows. Preliminary gender equality goals are put forward to those departments closely linked to sectors with a low level of gender equality, amongst the eight sectors of the national gender equality index. These goals have been drawn through a primary examination of gender equality goals currently used in the gender budget, which were then cross-referenced with the gender equality issues seen in programmes subject to the National Gender Equality Index, the Basic Plan for Gender Equality Policy, gender impact analysis and gender budgeting.

Finally, this study recommends the interlinking of the gender mainstreaming institutions through a series of conceptual and technical links. Conceptual linkage means a focus on integrated outcomes across institutions rather than individual outcomes in each institutional operation, which could be expected to create a synergy effect as the primary goal of increasing gender equality is shared between the National Gender Equality Index, the Basic Plan for Gender Equality Policy, gender impact analysis and assessment, and gender budgets. Regarding technical linkage, given the significant overlap between gender impact analysis and gender budgets as tools of gender mainstreaming, this study suggests detailed methods through which the two approaches could be linked at the technical level.