Series of activities that aim at strengthening people’s skills and knowledge on a certain matter, in this case gender equality.
A variety of activities can be organised to develop gender competences, such as awareness-raising initiatives, training and coaching. Competence development may occur in several stages of the policy cycle. Besides enhancing people’s skills, awareness and knowledge, it may also have a positive impact on their interest and commitment to gender equality.
Competence development can include a wide range of different educational tools and processes such as: face-to-face training events and courses of study; staff induction; online modules; guidance materials and compendia of resources; consultancy arrangements; and networks for sharing expertise.
(1) European Institute for Gender Equality – EIGE (2014). General Module on Gender Mainstreaming; (2) EIGE (Forthcoming). Introducing Guiding Standards for Gender Competence Development Initiatives.
The concepts and definitions found in this glossary were published in 2016, and some may be out-of-date. EIGE is currently looking into which terms may need to be updated in the future.