Foreword

There is growing evidence on how gender-sensitive policymaking can underpin inclusive growth, build economic resilience and reinforce democratic values. In recent decades, the government of the Czech Republic has made many domestic and international commitments to ensure gender equality. It has also made some progress in the areas of women’s employment, education, entrepreneurship and cabinet-level representation. Since the late 1990s, the government has adopted horizontal gender equality strategies to frame and promote action in this area across the public administration. In addition, the Czech Republic has adhered to the OECD Recommendation on Gender Equality in Public Life and the OECD Recommendation on Gender Equality in Education, Employment and Entrepreneurship and has been an active member of the OECD Working Party on Gender Mainstreaming and Governance since its establishment.

Despite these advances, gender gaps persist in areas such as labour market segregation, earnings and leadership in public life along with the threat of gender-based violence. The government also faces internal barriers that limit its ability to make progress on gender equality such as limited capacities and competencies, the allocation of resources, and fragmentation of gender-related initiatives. These internal challenges were further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing social and economic effects, which had differential impacts on women and men. The ongoing complexities of global and regional situations – including the economic and humanitarian crises caused by Russia’s large-scale war of aggression in Ukraine, the global energy crisis and the climate crisis – create further pressures on the government’s capacity to address gender equality issues.

To successfully realise more gender-equal outcomes, governments need strategic enablers such as legal, strategic and institutional foundations as well as government capacities and capabilities for gender mainstreaming and gender-sensitive policymaking and decision making. This OECD Review was developed to help the government of the Czech Republic strengthen its capacities for implementing and mainstreaming gender equality across the whole of government. Gender mainstreaming can support inclusive growth and build resilience to future crises and emergencies. Gender-sensitive policymaking can also improve gender-balanced participation in the economy and the labour market, while making the green and digital transitions more gender sensitive. Moreover, it can provide an impetus for gender-balanced representation and inclusive participation in public life and thus contribute to a stronger democracy.

This report provides a baseline assessment of the policy and legal frameworks for gender mainstreaming in the Czech Republic, the roles and responsibilities of various institutional actors, and the use of tools and practices for gender mainstreaming. It offers evidence-informed recommendations tailored to the Czech context to improve governance and capacities for accelerating progress in gender equality.

This action was funded by the European Union via the Technical Support Instrument and implemented by the OECD in co-operation with the Directorate-General for Structural Reform Support of the European Commission.

The report was reviewed and discussed by the OECD Working Party on Gender Mainstreaming and Governance (GMG) in December 2022. It was approved by the OECD Public Governance Committee on 12 May 2023 and prepared for publication by the Secretariat.