The Contribution of Voluntary Sustainability Systems to Women’s Participation and Leadership in Decision-Making (SDG 5.5)

Abstract

Njuki et al., (2021) find that women’s leadership and decision-making at all levels constitute a particularly underresearched pathway to gender equality and justice in agri-food systems. To respond to this knowledge gap, this study investigates if and how voluntary sustainability systems (VSS) contribute to women’s meaningful participation, representation and leadership in agri-food systems. Evidence was collected in two complementary ways: through a strategic review of the existing evidence and by codeveloping measurement approaches on women’s leadership with key standards-setting organizations. The study shows that there has been some evidence of progress in women’s representation and leadership as a result of VSS, even if overall change is slow and partial due to the range and depth of barriers to gender equality generally. Certain facets of VSS engagement seem to present particular obstacles to women’s leadership, while gains are experienced where VSS have taken more proactive approaches, for example by supporting leadership quotas, womenonly committees, offering women’s leadership training and engaging men in efforts. The study also finds that despite the large-scale interest in cultivating ‘women’s leadership’ (as a means or an end outcome) there remains a need to critically reflect on its underlying assumptions and desirability, on the ways it is being defined (especially vis-à-vis women’s participation and empowerment) and on how we measure changes meaningfully. This new understanding of what works in women’s leadership in VSS and how we know it is working is being co-developed and shared with a large network of VSS as part of an ongoing partnership with ISEAL.