Equality Barometer

The Equality Barometer is a tool designed to help organizations and groups advance their work on gender equality.

The Equality Barometer is one of the analytical instruments in the Four Rooms of Change concept.

What does the Equality Barometer measure?

It measures how gender equality work is perceived within an organisation and how the organisation relates to gender equality as a goal. It highlights areas of strength and areas for improvement. The barometer also provides guidance on how to develop the work.

It is ideal for use at the start of a development project. It is also an excellent analytical tool for monitoring and evaluating ongoing work. In such cases, it provides clear guidance on the appropriate focus for the next step in the process.

What does the Equality Barometer not measure?

It does not measure the degree of gender equality.

However, there is likely to be a strong correlation between low measurable gender equality and ‘low’ values on the Barometer.

Using the Equality Barometer allows you to obtain data on:

• The climate in the organisation with regard to gender equality;
• The organisation’s readiness to work effectively with gender equality.
• The degree of resistance to working with gender equality.
• The ability to succeed in gender equality work.
• Needs for development work with a focus on gender equality;
• Which issues should development work primarily be based on?

The history behind the Equality Barometer

Ann Boman, the then chair of Jämstöd (the inquiry into gender mainstreaming in the state), contacted us with the following question:

Could the Organizational Barometer, or a variant of it, be used to explore how gender equality work is progressing in companies, government agencies, municipalities, county councils and other organisations? What works and what doesn’t? What do those involved want to do about it? Just as the Organisational Barometer does in all other contexts?

This marked the beginning of a development project that would eventually result in the Equality Barometer, which is now ready for use.

Ann Boman and Bengt Lindström from A&L Partners AB collaborated on this project, and creator of the Four Rooms of Change theory, Claes Janssen, contributed to the scientific testing. This was carried out with around 500 respondents from various municipal administrations in Kalmar.

The Equality Barometer is very accurate. If you would like to know more about it, please contact us.