The Women's Empowerment Principles Gap Analysis Tool (WEPs Tool) helps companies identify strengths, gaps, and opportunities to improve their performance on gender equality.

The tool is:

• Grounded in the WEPs Principles and uses a global framework that has strong support from business, the UN, governments, and civil society.
• Business Driven as it was developed in consultation with more than 170 companies. The questions are based on real-life company practice, international standards, and indicators.
• A free, user-friendly, and strictly confidential online platform that helps companies to assess current policies and programmes, highlight areas for improvement, and identify opportunities to set future corporate goals and targets. Results are provided in a concise and clear format so companies can easily identify areas for improvement.

Companies can use the tool to:

• Assess the company’s strategic approach to gender equality.
• Identify gaps and opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Learn about best practices on gender equality globally.
• Set concrete goals and targets, and measure progress over time.
• Benchmark against peers and industry standards.
• Leverage global gender equality resources to guide future actions.
• Contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals by investing in women and girls and Making Global Goals, Local Business.

Format

The WEPs Tool comprises 18 multiple choice questions that draw from good practices from around the world-covering gender equality in leadership, workplace, marketplace, and community. Topics covered by the assessment include: commitment to a gender equality strategy, equal pay, recruitment, supporting parents and caregivers, women’s health, inclusive sourcing, and advocacy for gender equality in communities of operation. Each question is organized according to a management model, which guides companies of all sizes through the process of formally committing, implementing & action, measuring, communicating progress, and taking action.

The model draws on widely accepted and understood management practices, including the UN Global Compact Management Model.

The multiple choice questions are supplemented by 17 optional outcome indicators sourced from international reporting frameworks and standards. Companies are encouraged to input their data to assess effectiveness of programmes and policies, measure development over time and benchmark progress against peers and industry standards (at the aggregate level).

The WEPs Tool includes questions about your company’s policies and practices on gender equality across business functions, including Human Resources, Procurement, Diversity & Inclusion, Corporate Sustainability, etc. It is expected to take an average of 2–3 hours to complete, as per the feedback from pilot companies, once this information has been gathered internally.

Weighting Methodology

The WEPs Gap Analysis Tool is comprised of 18 multiple choice questions spread across 4 themes: Leadership, Workplace, Marketplace and Community. Each question assesses a key approach to women’s empowerment within those four themes. The questions have multiple responses and a user is asked to “select all that apply” to their company. The multiple choice options indicate specific practices across 4 management stages: Commitment, Implementation, Measurement, and Accountability.

Additional weight is given to practices enshrined in international conventions, such as ILO Core Conventions, that are considered minimum obligations to respect women’s rights. This weighting methodology is based on consultations conducted with experts and companies throughout the development and pilot phases of the Tool. This methodology will continue to evolve as the Tool is regularly reviewed and as learnings on effective approaches to women’s empowerment emerge.

For further details on this weighting methodology, please see question 10 of the FAQ.

Disclaimer:
The tool is voluntary and meant to be a learning platform and therefore will not serve as a reporting mechanism or certification. Companies may choose to share results of the WEPs Tool with their stakeholders, but it should be noted that the data is self-reported and has not been verified or validated by any of the tool partners (United Nations Global Compact, UN Women, or any member of the Inter-American Development Bank Group).