Executive Summary
Champions of Change Coalition has released a draft resource: 7 Switches: A Guide for Inclusive Gender Equality by Design for stakeholder review and feedback. This pioneering initiative aims to help embed inclusive gender equality at the heart of all decision-making and design processes, across everything we do and deliver.
- RESOURCE: 7 Switches – Guide for Inclusive Gender Equality by Design
- SUMMARY: Quick reference guide on the 7 Switches
- FAQs: Your questions answered on the 7 Switches
7 Switches challenges us to reimagine decision-making and design processes to create a future where inclusive gender equality is a fundamental principle, rather than an afterthought where inequalities might only be addressed when issues arise. It draws on international research, advice from experts and our experiences as a Coalition over the past 14 years, providing a simple, practical guide that can be used by anyone.
Our vision is for a world where inclusive gender equality fuels creativity, innovation, and economic prosperity. By using the 7 Switches to embed gender equality from the start, we want to help set a new standard for how we operate, unlocking potential growth and innovation that benefits us all. For example, women’s full and equal participation in economic activity has the potential to unlock $128 billion an additional value to the Australian economy each year. [1]
7 Switches provides decision-makers with simple, actionable strategies to ensure:
1. The active inclusion and engagement of diverse women in decision making end-to-end.
2. Contributions, perspectives and achievements are equally valued for all genders.
3. The autonomy, independence, freedom and privacy of women and girls are enabled
4. Health and safety for all genders is prioritised and never traded off.
5. The attributes and needs of women at every life stage are factored into design.
6. Harmful gender stereotypes, norms and expectations impeding equality are eliminated; and
7. Equal or corrective investments are made to eradicate gender inequity.
Champions of Change Members will pilot 7 Switches over the course of this year, as the beginnings of what we hope will be a larger movement. Through collaborations with organisations such as the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the UN Global Compact, we hope to amplify its reach and potential impact globally.
Please join us in trialling the 7 Switches to ensure that gender equality is woven into the fabric of our future. We’ll share insights, lessons, and case studies to inspire and support others in integrating these principles into their operations.
For more information or to share your feedback on this project, please contact Julie Bissinella, Director of Engagement and Impact at Champions of Change Coalition.
1. Breaking the Norm, Deloitte Access Economics and Australians Investing in Women (AIIW), November 2022
