GENDERACTIONplus D5.2: Second report on monitoring ERA Action 5 implementation at national level

The second WP5 report, based on a survey, distributed among members of the ERA Forum subgroup on gender and inclusiveness in spring 2024, describes which ERA Action 5 targets have been adopted at a national level, which measures are being implemented and whether and what information is being collected on the implementation of measures. It demonstrates that not all objectives are supported by measures and, conversely, that in most countries there is a lack of information on the implementation of measures in those areas addressed by the objectives. Of the countries that have committed to ERA Action 5, just over half have formulated an ERA action plan or a gender equality strategy that refers to ERA. However, even in the absence of a strategic document, the majority of countries represented in the survey have formulated gender equality policy objectives based on ERA action 5. These objectives, however, lack specific, measurable and time-bound objectives (SMART objectives), instead representing a commitment to address specific challenges without the formulation of concrete targets. GENDERACTIONplus argues that monitoring has significant potential for steering gender equality policy implementation at the European and national levels. However, this potential is currently untapped, due to a lack of comparable information at a national level. The absence of a unified and coherent gender equality policy in the ERA also results in inefficiencies in the policymaking process. To further develop – or at least maintain – the status quo of gender equality engagement in ERA, it is essential to complement the voluntary character of political commitment with robust monitoring and an intensified gender equality policy discourse.