The adoption of gender mainstreaming, the broader professionalisation of international development practice and the move towards evidence-based and expert-led policy-making, have created an increasing demand for gender experts. These experts are employed by many (international) governmental and non-governmental organisations and work in multiple issue areas, including development, security, human rights, agriculture, refugees, migration and health. They are hired to implement gender mainstreaming, to generate new knowledge about gender, and to spread gender equality considerations through organisational structures and projects. The underlying idea is that the integration of gender experts and gender expert knowledge into existing institutions and programmes redresses gender inequalities and promotes women's empowerment.
