The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion on Tuesday to require all county departments to assess and track gender equity.
Authored by Supervisors Hilda Solis and Sheila Kuehl, the motion requires staff to implement a Gender Impact Assessment to identify and track gender equity within every facet of each department, including services, policies and practices, and report back to the board about their progress toward meeting gender equity goals.
The GIA is designed to help the county “improve its understanding of people’s different needs, experiences, and opportunities, which may vary based on gender, race/ethnicity, age, and other social-demographic variables,” according to the motion. “It teaches us to question the assumption that policies, programs, and services affect or benefit everyone in the same way and avoid any unintended negative consequences.”
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“One of my ongoing goals as a county supervisor has been to bring greater focus to the challenges facing LA County’s women and girls, so it’s very gratifying that at my last public meeting as supervisor, I am co-authoring this motion which will establish a gender equity standard to be applied in all county departments,” wrote Kuehl, who is retiring after two terms on the county board. “Moving forward, LA County will have a concrete and measurable way of tracking gender equity. That’s tremendous progress.”