The Agency for Gender Equality within the ESF

In March 2009, the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs contracted the Agency for Gender Equality within the ESF - a support structure for achieving more gender equality as desired outcome of the European Social Fund. The Agency is based in Berlin. A team of experts advise the responsible actors on different levels of implementation of the ESF, with the goal of mainstreaming gender equality into the ESF programmes and their respective projects. The Agency promotes this aim by offering ongoing support to ministries involved in programming and monitoring the ESF and implementation bodies. The Agency offers training and counselling, publishes studies on ESF topics, offers detailed information on Gender Mainstreaming in the ESF via the Internet, networks with national and international bodies and organisations and provides Gender Budget analysis.

The Agency’s approach focuses on two aspects of ESF implementation: First, the Operational Programme (analysis, strategy development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation), which also encompasses Gender Budgeting as a means for monitoring Gender Equality. Second, our approach focuses on the policies outlined in the ESF programmes. Labour market and employment policy are both the reference framework and the basis for identifying the policy goals of Gender Equality.


The Agency for Gender Equality within the ESF produces yearly reports on Gender Budgeting performance by analysing monitoring data.

Qualitative Gender Budgeting Report

Gender Budgeting Report 2011

Gender Budgeting Report 2010

Gender Budgeting Report 2009