What is a gender audit of political parties?

A political party gender audit, or “self-assessment”, is a methodology developed by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) for assessing internal political party processes, procedures, structures, culture and activities from a gender perspective. The aim of a gender audit is to identify discriminatory practices – whether direct or indirect, formal or informal – that can perpetuate gender inequality and hinder women’s participation in politics. Gender audit equips political party leadership with the information needed to adjust political party policies, programmes and campaign strategies in relation to gender equality.

To date, ODIHR has supported the gender audit of 43 major political parties in eight OSCE participating States.

Why conduct a gender audit?

The equal participation of women and men in political affairs is first and foremost a human rights issue, but it has other benefits as well for political parties that make efforts to ensure compliance with international human rights standards and recommendations on gender participation. By diversifying the composition of a political party, it is also possible to widen its support base and reach out to a larger pool of voters and potential candidates. The gender audit enables a political party to identify both the strengths and shortcomings of the party’s approach to gender equality. The gender assessment can indicate whether a political party is gender-sensitive and where it can improve. It also provides concrete recommendations to strengthen the party’s commitment to gender equality.

What are the benefits of a gender audit?

ODIHR has piloted the gender audit methodology with 43 major political parties in eight OSCE participating States. As a result, political parties have taken measures to increase women’s political participation and sensitize internal policies and procedures from a gender perspective. Examples include establishing local branches of women’s councils, advocating for the introduction of election quotas for women candidates and conducting analysis of women’s representation across the party structures, as well as considering measures to promote the use of gender-sensitive language along with targeted capacity-building initiatives for women party members.