Gender Responsive Public Services: Pathways to Equitable Economic Growth in Cities

By recognising the way gender shapes realities in cities, gender-responsive services can address practical and strategic gender needs to empower people and transform societies. The Cities Alliance Joint Work Programme (JWP) on Equitable Economic Growth set out to start a debate on how local authorities can provide gender-responsive public goods and basic services.

The result is the discussion paper Gender Responsive Access to Public Services: Pathways to Equitable Economic Growth in Cities.  The paper examines how local interventions to support gender-responsive delivery of key public services can contribute to the economic empowerment and social inclusion groups and individuals who are often marginalized and vulnerable.

It suggests a framework for assessing the gender responsiveness of public services in cities. It also identifies various enabling factors that are essential to establishing these public services, including gender analysis, political leadership, and the existence of broad-based local coalitions and partnerships.