Research Consultant: Gender Partnership Programme

Background

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is the global organization of parliaments. It was founded in 1889 as the first multilateral political organization in the world, encouraging cooperation and dialogue between all nations. Today, the IPU comprises 180 national Member Parliaments and 14 regional parliamentary bodies. The IPU promotes democratic governance, institutions and values, working with parliaments and parliamentarians to articulate and respond to the needs and aspirations of the people. It works for peace, democracy, human rights, gender equality, youth empowerment, climate action and sustainable development through political dialogue, cooperation and parliamentary action.

The IPU recognizes gender equality as a key component of democracy and works to achieve the equal participation of men and women in politics. It provides support to parliaments in advancing gender equality, increasing women’s political participation and leadership, and in transforming themselves into gender-sensitive institutions that deliver on women’s rights. In recent years, it has focused on the question of harassment and violence against women in parliament.

In 2016, the IPU published a first study on sexism, harassment and violence against women parliamentarians. To deepen documentation and understanding of the issue, the IPU has started a series of regional studies. The regional studies aim to enrich research and enhance the quality of the analysis of sexism, harassment and violence against women in parliament by exploring and taking into consideration the specific context of each region.

In 2018, a study on sexism, harassment and violence against women in parliaments in Europe was carried out in partnership with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). The second in the series of regional studies focused on parliaments in Africa, and was carried out in 2021 with the African Parliamentary Union. The next regional study will focus on the parliaments of the Asia-Pacific region and subregions, and will be carried out in partnership with other inter‑parliamentary organizations that are being identified.

Objectives

The study will aim to document and assess the prevalence of different forms and manifestations of sexist behaviours and gender-based violence as experienced by female members of parliaments and female parliamentary staff in the Asia-Pacific region. It will also endeavour to examine the good practices that parliamentary institutions in the Asia-Pacific region have put in place to prevent and combat sexism and gender-based violence in their work environment.

The study will also seek to show, through case studies in the four Asia-Pacific subregions (namely East Asia, The Pacific, South-East Asia, and South Asia), how the contexts in which women parliamentarians work in each subregion can influence the forms, intensity and impact of violence to which they are exposed.

Tasks

The Research Consultant will assist the IPU Gender Partnership Programme in carrying out the regional study on sexism, harassment and violence against women in parliaments in the Asia-Pacific region. The Research Consultant will be part of a research team responsible for the development and implementation of the study. The research team will include four other researchers, made available by partner inter-parliamentary organizations and based in different regions worldwide who will communicate regularly online. The research team will be supervised by a Research Team Leader, who is already part of the IPU’s Gender Partnership team.

For the purpose of this study, the Research Consultant will carry out confidential interviews with women parliamentarians and women parliamentary staff from the Asia-Pacific region. The interviews will be based on a written questionnaire. The Research Consultant will also conduct semi-structured interviews based on a series of open-ended, in-depth questions with women parliamentarians who have faced or are facing violence. Most interviews will be carried out during IPU Assemblies and other meetings, as well as by telephone and through online communication platforms.

In coordination with the other research team members, the Research Consultant will be responsible for:

• • Liaising with IPU Members and partner organizations to reach out to a large number of women parliamentarians and women parliamentary staff in the Asia-Pacific region.
  • Contacting women parliamentarians and women parliamentary staff, informing them about the study, encouraging them and getting their agreement to participate.
  • Drawing up a schedule of interviews and arranging interpretation in Asia-Pacific languages where needed.
  • Carefully collecting and transcribing the data and information collected from the respondents during the interviews, and entering the data and information into an online platform designed for this purpose.

As the information may be of a sensitive nature, all consultants who are part of the research team will be bound to secrecy, discretion and confidentiality, as well as to adequately protect the personal data and information that they will collect in the course of the study.

The Research Consultant will also undertake desk research of existing literature on violence against women in politics and in parliaments, published between 2013 and 2023, with an explicit emphasis on the Asia-Pacific region, its subregions and/or countries.

He/she will also conduct desk research on good practices of parliaments in the Asia-Pacific region that address sexist behaviour, harassment and gender-based violence in parliaments, including through an online questionnaire and interviews with secretaries general or human resources officers of parliamentary chambers.

The work will involve frequent interaction with:

• Parliamentarians
• Parliamentary staff
• The Research Team Leader and other members of the research team
• The staff of the IPU, and those from other regional parliamentary assemblies in the Asia-Pacific region.

Key deliverables

• A total of around 100 confidential interviews with women parliamentarians and women parliamentary staff.
• A desk review of existing literature and research on violence against women in politics and in parliaments in the Asia-Pacific region.
• A desk review of good practices in parliaments in the Asia-Pacific region, and a contribution to the publication, through drafting texts that describe measures and mechanisms in parliaments designed to address gender‑based behaviour, harassment and violence.
• A contribution to the data analysis process.
• Provision of feedback on the final version of the main report and the case-study reports.
• A contribution to preparing the launch of the study, and to communications and other action related to the study, in particular:
  • Preparing key messages to support the launch of the report
  • Commenting on draft press releases and other materials
  • Supporting proofreading of the report during layout
  • Preparing presentations and speeches on the report’s content as required
  • Contributing to the report’s launch and events as part of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence in November 2024, and International Women’s Day in March 2025.
• Assistance to the Research Team Leader on any other tasks related to the study.

Qualifications and competencies

• University degree in social science, political science or law; specialization in gender studies an asset.
• Five years’ work experience in work related to gender equality, women’s rights and/or violence against women.
• Published work in relation to ending violence against women in politics.
• Experience in interviewing victims and witnesses of sexism, harassment and violence in parliament required.
• Sound experience in a parliamentary setting desirable, as well as familiarity with the work of international organizations; knowledge of Asia-Pacific context an asset.
• Knowledge of statistics and the use of research indicators.
• Personal attributes: initiative, self-motivation, tact, discretion and sound judgement.
• Complete fluency in English; proven excellent drafting skills in English a requirement; knowledge of Asia-Pacific languages an important asset.
• Aptitude for human contact and resourcefulness; team spirit; adaptability to varying working environments and conditions.

• General computer skills (MS Office applications, internet).

Time frame and conditions

The Consultant will undertake this work between 15 January and 31 December 2024. Within this period, the Consultant will be expected to work a maximum of 185 days as follows:

• A total of 55 days at the rate of approximately 18 days per month from 15 January to 31 March 2024.
• A total of 130 days at the rate of approximately 12 days per month from 1 April to 31 December 2024.

A detailed work plan will be established.

The Consultant can be home-based. Work will also entail travel as described below, which will be determined by research needs. The IPU will cover the travel expenses of the missions that the Consultant carries out for the assignment.

The Consultant will be expected to conduct the work based on the provisional timetable below:

Tasks	Place	Date
Desk review of existing literature and research	Home-based	January – March 2024
Contact women MPs and parliamentary staff, and carry out online interviews with them	Home-based	January – May 2024
Travel and carry out face-to-face interviews with women MPs and parliamentary staff	Parliamentary meeting of the IPU on the occasion of the 68th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, New York	March 2024
	148th Assembly of the IPU and related meetings, Geneva	23–27 March 2024
	Other missions targeted at the Asia-Pacific region (TBD in agreement with the partner inter-parliamentary organizations)	January – April 2024
Data entry and analysis	Home-based	January –April 2024
Desk research on good practices that address sexist behaviour, harassment and gender-based violence in parliaments	Home-based	January – March 2024
Draft the report on good practices in parliaments	Home-based	April – June 2024
Provide feedback on the final version of the main study report	Home-based	June – July 2024
Contribute to preparing the launch of the study	Home-based	August – November 2024
Contribute to communications and other action related to disseminating the study	Home-based	October – December 2024

Employment conditions

The Research Consultant will be an independent contractor, will not be considered to be an official or employee of the IPU, and will not be subject to the IPU Staff Regulations and Staff Rules. The Research Consultant will not be entitled to recover from the IPU any income tax payable in respect of the fee provided under this contract and shall be solely liable for the payment of any national income tax due in respect of the emoluments payable under this contract. The Research Consultant will not be included in the IPU pension scheme.