KWDI Korean Women’s Development Institute

This study is based on a part of diverse attempts to promote gender-equality city. Specifically, this study attempts to investigate whether gender-equality cities in Korea have the potential to establish gender governance that supports gender main-streaming, and, if so, how to set the future direction in order to actualize this potential. Promotion system of gender-equality city should be constructed in the consideration of every stage such as introduction, organization, promotion, and integration (after fifth year of project).

First of all, at the stage of introduction and organization, administration, citizen’s committee and council of gender-equality city must be constructed and activated as follow. At least two people are required to share the work in the main division of gender equality city. Citizen's committee can be organized through several approaches-utilizing any existing group or through public invitation-based on regional conditions. In addition, additional supporting projects are necessary to ‘suggest’ improvement schemes. The form of local advisory group is suitable for council of gender-equality city, which transforms existing projects from gender-equality perspective. This council can hire consultants, must meet women’s needs and be familiar with all projects that the department manages. Next, at the stage of promotion, administration, citizen's committee and council of gender-equality city must be constructed and activated as follow. The main division of gender-quality city should establish two prerequisite systems, which will function as the foundation of connection system and measuring tool for project performances. The first thing is to make contents of consulting to main indicators for all divisions, and the second thing is to set performance indicators of the main division. citizen's committee is required to promote two selective programs: one is a learning program that enlarges the domains of monitoring and the other is a supporting program that assists individual activities. Council of gender-equality city should be designed after public institutions and relevant organizations establish a network or discussion meetings to share information for relevant projects. This council may become a pool of local specialists on the main division and project managers and collaborate with citizen’s committee. Finally, at the stage of integration (after fifth year of project), the project to construct gender-equality city should be based on gender-equality indices designed by various divisions or designed for various programs. Regarding supporting system for gender-equality city, specialty and connectedness must be properly considered. First of all, common curriculum of Ministry of Gender Equality and Family is asked to be reorganized into school programs for gender-equality city. In terms of the contents and methods of education, at the early stage of gender-equality city construction, the concept and construction method of gender-equality cities are explored based on foreign examples. However, in terms of education for relevant individuals and organizations, domestic examples should be properly investigated to find out implications and future directions. It is also necessary to make learning programs for the heads of divisions or leaders of citizen's committee.\

Second, workshops for consultants of gender-equality city must be quarterly organized. These regular workshops will help to examine the details of supporting projects for gender-equality city and to discuss appropriate application methods, which in turn functions as the forum for exchange of local examples.

Third, checking gender-equality city performances, finding out best practices, and reward system should be interconnected in order to promote efficiency and outcomes of gender-equality city projects. Regarding the open contest for best practices of gender-equality city, a part of materials and data obtained from performance checking can be developed into a broader planning project. It is also expected to select candidates for the prize from the outcomes of performance checking that is a form of self-evaluation of gender-equality city, and to detail the process to select some of winners with national merits.

The project for gender-equality city, as a mechanism that promotes cooperation between local governments and co-learning of government workers and citizen’s committee, requires a network in which policy information and knowledge are shared. Furthermore, gender-equality cities should design their promotion plans and long-term plans for establishing women’s policy by investigating local conditions of gender equality, and promote their projects based on amendment of relevant acts and laws.