“In January 2016, the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) began guiding policy and funding for the next 15 years, beginning with a historic pledge to end global poverty everywhere, permanently. The UK played a key role in the development of the SDGs, with UK Prime Minister David Cameron co-chairing the High-Level Panel on the post-2015 global development framework.

When launching the SDGs in September 2015, US President Barack Obama stated that “one of the best indicators of whether a country will succeed is how it treats its women.” The issue of gender equality and empowerment of women and girls features strongly within the SDGs, particularly Goal 5  and its indicators as well as being integrated into other goals. The goals are universal and global in nature meaning that they apply as much to the UK as to the rest of the world.

Against this backdrop the British Council has commissioned a study to provide a stock-take of the current status of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in the UK in relation to other countries. We see this work as central to the British Council’s role of “creating friendly knowledge and understanding” between the UK and other countries as well as contributing to revitalising the “global partnership” (Goal 17) to achieve the SDGs.

The research is intended to support UK and international stakeholders working in this sphere to learn from each other and collaborate more closely. It will raise awareness of the contribution that UK stakeholders from government, civil society, education and the private sector are making, highlighting any assets and strengths of the UK experience as well as identifying any gaps and opportunities for learning.

It is hoped that the study will be used by stakeholders in the UK and internationally to share good practice and identify the impact of international linkages and collaboration.

 

The British Council Research Team is using  Goal 5 as the context for the research and framing the report around the following areas determined by the British Council:

 

  • Participation, Power and Leadership

 

  • Education (Schools, Further Education, Higher Education)

 

  • The Economy (Paid and Unpaid Work and Enterprise)

 

  • Justice and Violence Against Women and Girls (this will also be examined as a key priority of the SDGs and as an issue that cuts across our five themes)

 

  • Cultural sectors (including Arts, Sports and Technology)

 

The British Council is now  seeking your help with the following:

 

Research

We are seeking recent research on gender equality and women and girls’ empowerment in the four nations of the UK (i.e. since 2010). We particularly welcome research that captures the intersection of gender with other forms of discrimination. The research may be practice or research-based and where it has not been published before (online, or as a pdf) the owners must give their permission for the content to be published and shared with the British Council’s stakeholders.

Please submit your ideas via this online :

 

Case studies

We are seeking recent case studies showing good practice that have the power to create change on gender equality and empowerment of women and girls in the UK AND globally over the last five years. We welcome case studies from the private sector, civil society, government and the public sector.  We also particularly welcome case studies that reflect the complexity of intersecting barriers to women and girls’ rights (such as disability, racism, poverty).  Where the case studies have not been published before, the owners must give their permission for the content to be published and shared with the British Council’s stakeholders.

 

Please submit your ideas via this online

 

Further information can be found at https://www.britishcouncil.org/society/womens-and-girls-empowerment/gender-equality-uk

 

The information that we collect will be used by the British Council and partners as an internal resource for supporting ongoing work to promote women and girls’ empowerment, and to advance gender equality. The British Council will also be publishing a short 30-page summary report of our findings in the Autumn of 2016 which will be disseminated widely.

 

Thank you for your contribution to this important project.  Please pass on this request to your networks.”

 

Holly Dustin, Helen Mott, Nicola Waterworth

British Council Gender Equality research team 2016