Gender is never absent

Whether at home, during leisure time, at work, in the economy or in politics: no area is free of gender conceptions and norms that influence and shape our actions. We are still far from achieving gender justice. Women's work remains undervalued and unpaid - and as one result unhealthy power imbalances are perpetuated.

Gender justice is a positive vision in which no person is discriminated against on the basis of gender (and the classifications that go with it), allowing everyone to develop their potentials to lead a fulfilling life. Universal human rights and a "caring" economy are basic principles to get closer to this vision. This means at the same time that, in the sense of sustainability, human development must take place with consideration for the environment and future generations.

Gender mainstreaming is an approach and a set of instruments in which gender relations are analysed and taken into account from the beginning in order to develop measures that contribute to making our environment more gender-just. Transformation involves power transitions and structural changes, something new is created.

The term "gender" is often associated with question marks and ambiguities. This can quickly lead to a persistence in the status quo. With gender competence it becomes possible to analyse gender relations in any situation or field of practice and hence to (re)construct them differently.