A practical guide to launching your gender equality initiative
AFNOR Spec X30-020 is a guide to best practices for advancing gender equality in all organizations. It can be consulted free of charge, and is a document with international ambitions.
In France, equality between women and men has been declared a major cause of the five-year term. In 2019, the French presidency of the G7 has been awarded the “Grand événement égalité femmes-hommes” label for the organization of the Biarritz summit in August. The repercussions of this summit highlighted the need to develop practical tools within the reach of all economic players. Their aim is to become exemplary in this area, using a common language and methods.
With this in mind, AFNOR has published AFNOR Spec X30-020, a guide to best practices for advancing equality between women and men in all associations, companies and local authorities. The project, placed under the patronage of the President of the French Republic, was spearheaded by the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Gender Equality, Diversity and Equal Opportunity, and the Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Recovery, with the support of PwC and the Fédération Nationale des Caisses d’Epargne. 40 players from all walks of life also got involved.
AFNOR Spec X30-020: a document that foreshadows an ISO standard
Presented at the Génération Egalité Forum on July1, 2021 in Paris, this guide is the first building block before the normative work that should now begin at international level to turn it into an ISO standard. It covers 5 themes:
- Access to education and training ;
- Sexual and reproductive health and rights;
- Preventing and stopping violence against women and girls;
- Women’s and girls’ rights, preventing and combating gender-based discrimination;
- Women’s economic empowerment and participation in public and economic life.
These themes are dealt with through an organizational approach applicable to any type of organization, public or private, wishing to integrate the gender equality dimension in a transversal and specific way in all its fields of action.
The guide provides keys to help everyone take stock of their organization, advice on how to improve, and is illustrated by numerous examples of initiatives. This guide is easy to learn and read, and can be adapted to suit everyone.
Watch the video presentation of two of the organizations who helped write the guide: Cédric Turini (CSR Manager, Fédération nationale des Caisses d’Epargne) and Mireille Pequignot (Director, Halte Discriminations).
