Gender Information Center NORA

**Gender Information Center NORA**, ops (abbreviated as GIC NORA) is a Czech non-governmental, non-profit organization based in Brno. NORA bases its activities on a feminist approach and deals with the field of gender.

The organization's mission is to promote equality between men and women in society and improve the living standards of socially disadvantaged groups in Czech society. Its activities include projects focusing on gender-sensitive education, eliminating discrimination against ethnic minorities and LGBTQ+ people, promoting equality between women and men in the labor market, preventing gender-based violence not only in the workplace, and others. Among other things, the organization conducts gender audits of companies and institutions.

## Origin 
The GIC Nora organization was founded in the fall of 2004. It was initiated by students and teachers from the Faculty of Social Studies of Masaryk University in Brno. The organization's goal was to expand gender activities beyond academia. 

The Gender Center of the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Moravia in Brno, the women's interest group Medúza, and Stud Brno participated in establishing the center. The founding members believed that equality had been achieved *de jure* in the Czech Republic, as the principle of equality is enshrined in several key legal documents, such as the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms or the Anti-Discrimination Act . However, in their view, there is still a long way to go to achieve *de facto* equality.

### Origin of the name 
The name of the organization, NORA, is inspired by the heroine of Henrik Ibsen's 1879 play ''A Doll's House''. The main character, Nora, became a global symbol of women's emancipation.

## Projects and focus 
Since 2014, the NORA Gender Information Center has focused on extensive educational activities. These include various projects, courses, and trainings on gender-related topics, such as non-stereotypical career choices, supporting girls in technical and scientific fields (STEM), gender-sensitive language, and more.

GIC Nora also actively contributes to the discussion on unequal pay for women and men. In cooperation with the Office of the Public Defender of Rights, it initiated a project in 2015–2016 aimed at raising public awareness in the Czech Republic about unequal pay (the Gender Pay Gap). The project aimed to stimulate social discussion and find ways to prevent this form of inequality. In 2021, the Gender Pay Gap in the Czech Republic reached 15.0 %, while the average GPG in the European Union was 12.7 %. 

In addition, GIC Nora conducts gender audits of companies and institutions in both the public  and private spheres. These audits serve as a corporate development tool to uncover potential non-compliance with the law, such as discrimination based on gender or age. This approach seeks to promote equal opportunities and access to remuneration, career growth and further development of male and female employees. An important output of a gender audit is a gender equality plan.

GIC Nora also focuses on the issue of intersectionality, i.e. the interconnection of various identity factors, especially in the areas of gender, ethnicity, sexuality and education. Since 2015, it has started to involve the Roma minority (especially Roma girls and women) living in Brno and the South Moravian Region in its projects. 

## Membership and Partnership 
GIC Nora has been a member organization of the Czech Women's Lobby (ČŽL) since 2014. This is a network of organizations defending women's rights in the Czech Republic.

GIC Nora is a partner of Amnesty International's Letter Writing Marathon. Nora focuses primarily on people who are unfairly persecuted for their sexual orientation, gender identity, or for defending women's rights.

## References