With a view to ensuring substantive equality between female and male applicants, examination procedures should be gender-sensitive. In particular, personal interviews should be organised in a way which makes it possible for both female and male applicants to speak freely about their past experiences, including in cases involving persecution based on gender, gender identity or sexual orientation. For this purpose, applicants should be given an effective opportunity to be interviewed separately from their spouse, partner or other family members. Where requested by the applicant and possible, the interviewers and interpreters should be of the sex that the applicant prefers. The complexity of gender-related claims should be properly taken into account in all procedures.