Technological Advisory Group Forming to Advance Gender Equality

In line with our commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals – including SDG 5, gender equality – Underwriters Laboratories is proud to celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science on Feb. 11. On this day, we recognize the contributions women have made to global progress through their efforts in the scientific community. We also reaffirm our commitment to helping empower women and girls through the advancement of gender equality.

As part of this effort, our organization has applied to be accredited by ANSI to serve as administrator of the U.S. technical advisory group (TAG) to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Project Committee (PC) 337, Guidelines for the Promotion and Implementation of Gender Equality. The primary purpose of this TAG is to develop and transmit, via ANSI, U.S. consensus positions and comments on activities and ballots of the ISO technical committee (TC) and PC. These activities and ballots include the approval, reaffirmation, revision and withdrawal of ISO standards. As the U.S. TAG administrator, Underwriters Laboratories would transmit the official U.S. position to proposals under the responsibility of ISO/PC 337 and would also present ISO with any new work items that would support broad efforts in the U.S. related to standardization for gender equality.

PC 337 will work to develop guidelines on concepts, terms and definitions related to gender equality; identify existing good practices; and define actions, strategies, and policies for the promotion and implementation of gender equality. It aims to develop technical guidance and standardization on how to promote and implement gender equality in all types of organizations, public or private –  regardless of their size, location, and field of activity.