Background

• Author: European Institute for Gender Equality (EU body or agency)
• Pages: 3-3

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Sexism at work: how can we stop it?

Background

Background

Who is this handbook for?

This handbook will be relevant for every organisation and for all work contexts, both

in the public and private sector. However, the content has been tailored to the context

of the EU institutions and agencies (1).

What is the aim of this handbook?

The focus of this handbook is to help organisations understand the nature of sexism

in work contexts and to provide leadership, management and staff with the tools to

tackle it. The focus is on informal mechanisms to foster cultural change.

The handbook also touches on ways to deal with sexual harassment, which is illegal,

constitutes discrimination and is a form of violence. EU-wide legal obligations neces-

sitate formal responses to such behaviour. While informal mechanisms can accompany

formal responses to sexual harassment, they cannot replace them.

What is the scope of this handbook?

The focus is on policies which cover all staff employed directly by the EU (such as the

Staff Regulations of Officials and Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the

European Union), highlighting specific good practices and pinpointing gaps. This

handbook cannot present all internal policies and informal measures within all EU

institutions and agencies.

(1) This handbook is designed to inform and does not constitute a legal text.