Implementing gender mainstreaming in Public Administrations

This paper examines gender mainstreaming in Spain. Two dimensions of the gender mainstreaming approach are considered. First, the evolution of gender equality policies and, second, the interplay between the implementation of gender mainstreaming and the dominant working practices inside Spanish public administrations. In relation to the former, we studied a wealth of equality plans at different administrative levels. To study the latter, we conducted an original survey targeting both junior and senior officials at local, regional and national levels of public administration in Spain. Our results highlight a paradox at the level of equality plans: while many public bodies are abandoning their duty to update them, a small number of frontrunners are engaging in proactive definitions of public policy-making in the field of gender equality. As regards implementation, we identified a number of forms of internal resistance to the involvement of gender specialists, as well as to the adoption of horizontal modes of working and organizing. Gender mainstreaming must therefore be viewed as a very challenging goal that is perhaps out of reach for very many public organisations.