title: Empowerment evaluation of a Swedish gender equity plan.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Empowerment is essential for gender equity and health. The city of Malmö, Sweden, has formulated a development plan for gender equity integration (GEIDP). A 'Policy Empowerment Index' (PEI) was previously developed to assess the empowerment potential of policies.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To pilot-evaluate the GEIDP's potential for empowerment and to test the PEI for future policy evaluations.
  
  
  METHODS
  The GEIDP was analyzed and scored according to electronically retrieved evidence on constituent opinion, participation, capacity development, evaluation-adaptation, and impact.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The plan's PEI score was 64% (CI: 48-78) and was classified as 'enabling', ranging between 'enabling' and 'supportive'. The plan's strengths were: 1) constituent knowledge and concern; 2) peripheral implementation; 3) protection of vulnerable groups; and 4) evaluation/adaptation procedures. It scored average on: 1) policy agenda setting; 2) planning; 3) provisions for education; 4) network formation; 5) resource mobilization. The weakest point was regarding promotion of employment and entrepreneurship.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The PEI evaluation highlighted the plan's potential of constituency empowerment and proposed how it could be augmented.
authors.affiliation: Division of Social Medicine and Global Health, Social Medicine and Global Health, Lund University (LU), Malmö, Sweden; georgiosgavriilidis@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Georgios
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gavriilidis
authors.affiliation: Division of Social Medicine and Global Health, Social Medicine and Global Health, Lund University (LU), Malmö, Sweden.
authors.forename: Nivetha Natarajan
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Gavriilidou
authors.affiliation: City of Malmö, Commission of a Socially Sustainable Malmö, Malmö, Sweden.
authors.forename: Erika
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pettersson
authors.affiliation: City of Malmö, Commission of a Socially Sustainable Malmö, Malmö, Sweden.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Renhammar
authors.affiliation: City of Malmö, Commission of a Socially Sustainable Malmö, Malmö, Sweden.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Balkfors
authors.affiliation: Division of Social Medicine and Global Health, Social Medicine and Global Health, Lund University (LU), Malmö, Sweden.
authors.forename: Per-Olof
authors.initials: PO
authors.lastname: Östergren
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006285:Health Planning / Q000458:organization & administration; D006291:Health Policy; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011209:Power, Psychological; D012737:Sex Factors; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D016387:Women's Health
keywords: empowerment; evaluation; gender equity; policy; policy empowerment index