Conducting a participatory gender audit to promote organisational resilience

Challenge

Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces (ISF) faced several interconnected challenges, primarily stemming from the country’s ongoing economic crisis and a need to enhance gender equality within the organisation. As part of its commitment to developing a policing system grounded in human rights, equality, and equity, the ISF sought to better understand the diverse roles, experiences, capabilities and aspirations of both men and women within its ranks.

Approach

Siren supported the ISF to undertake a staff-led, participatory gender audit (PGA) to better understand gender dynamics within the organisation. This PGA process was chosen as an appropriate tool to identify both existing gaps and positive practices in tackling gender issues within the ISF, promoting organisational learning on how to mainstream gender. The PGA process was guided by the International Labour Organisation (ITCILO)’s guidelines on participatory gender audits and an organisational self-assessment guide to gender responsiveness in security institutions developed by DCAF. The work built on a shorter gender needs analysis carried out by The International Centre for Migration Policy Development in 2020.

Formation of gender audit team

To foster institutional ownership and sustainability, Siren guided the ISF to form an internal PGA team comprising ranking and non-ranking operational and administrative staff from across the organisation, with a mix of both men and women. Siren used ITCILO-certified staff to train this team on the PGA methodology and organised a workshop exploring gender dynamics in other security organisations.

Design of research methodology

Siren closely mentored the ISF PGA team to develop and validate a research methodology, incorporating both qualitative and quantitative data collection tools, including key informant interviews and a staff survey.

Staff survey

The PGA team conducted the first, national-level staff survey of its kind within the ISF in March and April 2024. The survey prioritised capturing the experiences of female staff due to their smaller numbers in the ISF.

Key informant interviews

Key informant interviews were carried out to provide qualitative insights to complement the staff survey, and to better explore gender-differentiated staff experiences within the ISF. Interviews were carried out in two rounds: initially, ranking and non-ranking staff from across the organisation were interviewed.  Following the completion of the staff survey and the first round of interviews, data was analysed and used to inform a second round of interviews with senior ranking staff in the ISF.

Outcomes

The PGA process resulted in a data-driven document to facilitate organisational learning on better implementing gender mainstreaming. The final report provided 22 recommendations for the short, medium and long-term improvement of the ISF’s gender responsiveness. The delivery of the report was timely, coinciding with the ISF’s hiring in late 2024 of 800 new staff, 50% of whom were women.  

The process supported the ISF’s strategic commitment to gender equality and its long-term reform objectives by enhancing the technical knowledge, experience and autonomy of an internal participatory gender audit team. This team, and the PGA were led by the ISF’s gender focal point, who owns the process for advancing the recommendations.

The project indirectly contributed to the ISF’s goal of promoting safety and security for all by providing a gender informed analysis on operational resourcing. The study, conducted during a critical economic crisis in Lebanon, suggested a potential window for radical change within public organisations, giving the ISF a foundation for better understanding and rationalising the deployment of its current female personnel and developing long-term strategies for improved recruitment, retention, deployment, and promotion of women police officers. 

This project was conducted in collaboration with the ISF and UNDP and supported by the Government of Canada as part of the ‘Integrating Gender into Lebanese Institutions’ project.