Gender Equity and Justice

Gender inequality is an urgent issue facing Europe.  A working group on gender justice and, more generally, diversity, equity and inclusion emerged at the PEXforum.

Many foundations intend to be frontrunners in equity, fighters for better living condition and justice. But how they tackle these aspects in their own internal structure?

The current objective of the project is to conduct desk research of foundations across Europe combined with qualitative interviews in order to assess gender representation within these institutions and engage in comparative analysis of gender representation in European foundations. The aim of the initiative is to frame the debate on gender and diversity and to contribute to a gender-balanced and more diverse sector in Europe. This includes better understanding the dynamics at national level in philanthropic sector and tensions within networks as well as learning from the experiences in other countries.

Case-studies and qualitative research based on interviews about aspects of diversity including  age, educational, ethnic, cultural backgrounds in partnership with academics will sum up our project.We are working on developing a holistic picture of the European philanthropic landscape to discuss about power dynamics and address diversity in foundation leadership and beyond. We have identified and invited men to write about why they believe in gender equality and don’t want to work in a male-led foundation sector. We plan to share these stories combined with female voices.

Resources: 

• Carola Carazzone, ‘Reflecting on 25 years of progress for gender equality – and how far there is to go‘ – Alliance Magazine
• Gender Equity and Justice & Philanthropy European Knowledge Hub