Gender equality and equal opportunities
Gender equality and equal opportunities is a regulatory cross-cutting theme for all structural fund programmes in 2007-2013.
The ESF programme in England has a dual approach to mainstreaming gender equality and equal opportunities.
- Firstly, it ensures that equality of opportunity is taken into consideration and actively promoted by providers when they deliver their services. The procurement and contract management processes organised by Co-financing Organisations play an important role in ensuring this integration takes place
- Secondly, ESF is used to fund equality-specific providers or specialist support where this is appropriate to do so (including on a sub-contracting basis where a Co-financing Organisation is funding a prime-contractor).
At national level, gender equality and equal opportunities has been fully integrated across the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation stages of the programme.
Engaging unemployed women
A research report in “Engaging Unemployed Women” was undertaken by NIACE and produced in September 2011.
The NIACE report is available:
- Engaging unemployed women in ESF funding training (NIACE website)
And is supported by an annex document detailing case studies:
- Engaging unemployed women in ESF-funded training: successful approaches and case studies (NIACE website)
Gender equality and equal opportunities mainstreaming plan 2011-2013
The national ESF gender equalities and equal opportunities sub committee has agreed a new equality mainstreaming plan for the second half of the ESF programme period.
One of the key aims of the mainstreaming plan (see above) is to increase female participation in the ESF programme to 51% (from 38%).
New gender equality good practice guide
A new gender equality good practice guide is now available:
Race and age equality guides
The following good practice guides draw upon studies and experience from EQUAL and Objective 3 projects:
- Ethnic minority communities - equality and diversity good practice guide (333KB)
- Age – equality and diversity good practice guide (446KB)
Annual ESF Gender and Equal Opportunities Mainstreaming Leader Awards
The 2007- 2013 ESF programme in England also promotes good practice through the national ESF Mainstreaming Awards for providers and partners who 'go the extra mile' in promoting gender equality and equal opportunities.
Guide to Measuring Soft Outcomes and Distance Travelled
This report aims to help projects and organisations to understand how to recording soft outcomes and distance travelled. It offers a definition of these terms and presents different methods for recording and measuring them. Primarily its aim is to be a resource for ESF projects where the target groups are some distance from labour market participation.
Annual mainstreaming progress report for gender equality and equal opportunities
2011 progress Report
The latest annual ESF Gender Equality and Equal Opportunities Mainstreaming Plan progress report (2010) is now available. The report describes the good overall progress the programme is making in promoting equal opportunities and has a number of specific recommendations to help increase the female participation rate during the second half of the programme period:
The first two annual mainstreaming progress reports for the gender equality and equal opportunities cross-cutting theme for the ESF programme is now are available below:
2010 Progress Report
2009 Progress Report
Update to the equality impact assessment of the ESF Programme 2007-2013
This report provides an update to the equality impact assessment which was conducted before the programme was launched in 2007.
- European Social Fund equality impact assessment (update) - August 2011 (410KB)
- Annex 1: Representation of groups with protected characteristics on ESF (263KB)
- Annex 2: Performance - participants from protected groups into jobs (186KB)
- Annex 3: Performance - achievement of basic skills and qualifications (179KB)