gender analysis methodology

Gender analysis

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Gender analysis provides the necessary data and information to integrate a gender perspective into policies, programmes and projects.

What is gender analysis?

Gender analysis provides the necessary data and information to integrate a gender perspective into policies, programmes and projects. As a starting point for gender mainstreaming, gender analysis identifies the differences between and among women and men in terms of their relative position in society and the distribution of resources, opportunities, constraints and power in a given context. In this way, conducting a gender analysis allows for the development of interventions that address gender inequalities and meet the different needs of women and men.

Definition and purpose

The European Commission defines gender analysis as ‘the study of differences in the conditions, needs, participation rates, access to resources and development, control of assets, decision-making powers, etc., between women and men in their assigned gender roles’ [1].

The purpose of gender analysis is to identify and address gender inequalities, by [2]:

acknowledging differences between and among women and men, based on the unequal distribution of resources, opportunities, constraints and power;
ensuring that the different needs of women and men are clearly identified and addressed at all stages of the policy cycle;
recognising that policies, programmes and projects can have different effects on women and men;
seeking and articulating the viewpoints of women and men and making their contribution a critical part of developing policies, programmes and projects;
promoting women’s participation and engagement in community, political and economic life;
promoting better informed, gender-responsive and effective interventions.

Gender analysis involves acknowledging the historical and social inequalities faced by women and aims to inform the design of policies, programmes and projects to address these inequalities. This includes consideration of women’s particular experiences, roles and responsibilities, and their level of access to resources and decision-making.

Why is gender analysis important?

Gender analysis provides information on the different roles of women and men at different levels in policies, programmes and projects; their respective access to and control over resources, and the material and non-material benefits of society; and their gender-specific needs, priorities and responsibilities [3].

A thorough gender analysis enables policymakers to understand gender inequalities in a given situation or sector, as it not only describes the current state of contextual situations by gender, but also explores the causes and effects of gender disparities on the target group. Looking at the underlying causes of gender inequalities and discrimination can assist in setting relevant and targeted objectives and measures to eliminate gender inequalities [4]. In this way, gender analysis contributes to the improved gender responsiveness of policies and legislation as it provides the basis for ensuring that the needs of all citizens — women and men — are adequately addressed [5].

When focused on organisations and institutions, gender analysis is also important in determining how the nature of their service delivery may affect women and men, or how institutions themselves are also ‘gendered’, for example, in the workplace in terms of recruitment practices, the gendered divisions of labour and women’s access to decision-making positions [6]. (Read more on Gender Audit ).

How does gender analysis work?

As part of the broad category of socioeconomic analysis, gender analysis starts by identifying and explaining gender inequalities in a specific context. This helps to build an understanding of different patterns of participation, involvement, behaviours and activities that women and men have in economic, social and legal structures, and the implications of these differences.

The following are three suggested steps to take when carrying out gender analysis.

1. Collecting available data.

The first step is to collect available data and information and to identify data gaps.

Identify relevant data to provide a picture of the gender equality situation in a given context.
Draw on existing qualitative and quantitative research findings as a basis for evidence-based data.
Ensure that data is disaggregated by sex (and other intersecting forms of discrimination, such as age, ethnicity and any other factors relevant to shedding light on intersectionality).
Identify where further data is needed and generate additional data that captures gender issues.

2. Identifying gender differences and the underlying causes of gender inequalities.

The second step is to uncover the underlying causes of gender inequalities and seek to examine and address the cause of the problem in order to fully meet the different needs of women and men.

Reveal and examine differences and inequalities in women’s and men’s lives. Without this step, ‘unexpected’ consequences of policies, programmes and projects can arise, which may prompt the failure of the intervention or lead to further inequalities and discrimination. Where inequalities between women and men are found, they must be analysed in order to establish both their causes and their effects.
assess how the gender division of labour and patterns of decision-making affect the policy, programme or project;
assess who has access to and control over resources, assets and benefits, including programme or project benefits;
assess the barriers and constraints on women and men participating in and benefiting equally from the policy, programme or project.
define in what way your policy aims to respond to the needs of women and men;
describe how the policy will affect the everyday lives of women and men or specific groups of women and men, taking intersectional inequalities into account (i.e. relating it to age, bodily ability, ethnicity, migration status, income, etc.);
define the differences between women and men in the policy area (with regard to rights, participation and representation, access to and use of resources, social norms that affect gender roles and relations and gender-specific behaviour);
identify gender gaps among professionals (e.g. in pay and access to senior and leadership positions) in the main institutions in the sector;
identify the role of women in management at the local and national levels in the sector;
where relevant, consider the governance of the institution through a gender lens, by assessing whether and how selection, appraisal, promotion and evaluation practices reflect gender stereotypes that disadvantage female employees and managers (Read more on EIGE’s Gender Institutional Transformation toolkit).

3. Informing policies, programmes and projects.

Gender analysis is essential to the mainstreaming of a gender perspective through the policy cycle . It is a preparatory step for the planning stage and serves to inform the development policies, programmes and projects which respond to the different needs of women and men. A rigorous gender analysis will ensure that sound and credible advice is provided and the policies, programmes and projects developed on the basis of it will have greater credibility and validity among those affected by them.

To guarantee this, improving the gender expertise of those who are to be involved in the development and implementation of gender analysis can be achieved through gender equality training, which provides participants with the relevant knowledge, skills and values (Read more on EIGE’s Gender Equality Training toolkit ).

Gender analysis frameworks

There are a number of different frameworks for undertaking gender analysis. They represent step-by-step tools for carrying out gender analysis, which assist in raising questions, analysing information and developing strategies to increase women’s and men’s representation and participation in policies, projects and programmes. These frameworks have been developed to address different aspects of gender equality and are therefore useful for different policy priorities, programmes or projects.

The following are the best known gender analysis frameworks, which are often included as tools for gender mainstreaming and linked to gender planning frameworks and gender impact assessment frameworks . Some frameworks, such as the Levy framework, the capacities and vulnerabilities approach and the 4R method (described below) also address the questions of organisational change .

The Harvard Analytical Framework , also called the Gender Roles Framework, was one of the first frameworks developed to identify and understand the differences between men and women in their participation in the economy. It is used to collect information from the community and from households. The Harvard Analytical Framework describes who does each activity, who has access to and control of resources and the influence on gender roles. To do this, the framework is made up of four interrelated components:

The ‘activity’ profile answers the question of ‘Who does what?’ for all relevant productive and reproductive tasks.
The ‘access’ and ‘control’ profiles identify the resources used in the identified tasks; define by gender who has access to these resources and control over their use; and define the benefits that result from each activity and those who have access to and control over these benefits.
The final section – ‘influencing factors’ – identifies factors that cause the differences in the gender roles identified in the three aforementioned profiles. Although this framework acknowledges and distinguishes women’s roles and work, it does not aim to challenge existing gender inequalities [7].

The Moser conceptual framework for gender analysis and planning is based on the concepts of gender roles and gender needs [8]. It distinguishes between two types of gender needs: those that relate to women’s daily lives but maintain existing gender relations (practical gender needs); and those that potentially transform existing gender subordination (strategic gender needs). The Moser framework includes gender role identification (in production, reproduction and community management); gender needs assessment; disaggregating control of resources and decision-making within the household; planning for balancing the triple role; distinguishing between different aims in policy interventions; and involving women and gender-aware organisations in planning. Through this framework, Moser identifies different approaches to planning interventions, taking into consideration the degree to which they aim to simply meet practical gender needs or challenge gender inequalities by meeting strategic gender needs [9]. The Harvard and Moser frameworks have been extremely important in explaining the gender division of labour, which is one of the central dynamics of social structure that gender analysis seeks to reveal, and the differences between women’s and men’s productive and reproductive roles.

The Levy conceptual framework , known as the web of institutionalisation, moves beyond the Moser framework by addressing gender mainstreaming in institutions for development planning. Levy developed a web of 13 inter-connected elements needed for the systematic institutionalisation of gender equality in policy and planning [10].

The capacities and vulnerabilities approach (CVA) was developed to tackle humanitarian and disaster-preparedness issues and mainly addresses questions of organisational change. The core idea behind this approach is that people have capabilities and vulnerabilities that will determine the effect that a humanitarian crisis will have on them and how they will respond to it. This framework asserts that in planning a policy, programme or project in this area, three main dimensions should also be investigated using a gender lens, namely: physical/material capacities and vulnerabilities; social/organisational capacities and vulnerabilities; and motivational/attitudinal capacities and vulnerabilities [11].

The social relations approach was developed by Naila Kabeer [12], and has been used by various government departments and non-governmental organisations as a planning framework. The approach is centred on the interchange between patriarchy and social relations. Unlike the Harvard framework, it does not focus on roles, resources and activities, but instead focuses on the relations between the state, market, community and family [13].

The gender analysis matrix framework encourages bottom-up analysis through community participation to identify how gender differences impact on four areas: labour; time; resources; and sociocultural factors. This framework provides a community-based technique for the identification and analysis of gender differences and is applied on the level of society, the household, the community, and men and women. In doing so, it assists the community in identifying and challenging their assumptions about gender roles in a constructive manner [14].

The 4R method provides a picture of the gender patterns that exist in organisations, their impact and a plan for remedying shortcomings. The 4R method is articulated in four steps:

Representation – surveying gender representation in an organisation that is implementing an intervention to provide a picture of the gender distribution at all levels of the decision-making process;
Resources – examining the allocation of resources — money, time, information, among others — between women and men;
Realia – analysing conditions to understand the reasons for the gender distribution of representation and resource allocation;
Realisation – formulating new objectives and measures to achieve gender equality [15].

A gender participatory process is a crucial part of gender analysis frameworks and gender mainstreaming methods, this applies to every instance. By involving key decision-makers along with the groups and communities who will benefit from a policy, the transformative potential of this policy is greatly enhanced. A gender participatory process allows for the voices of underrepresented women and men to be heard and to be included in decision-making processes.

Based on women’s and men’s knowledge of their own local realities, this process makes it possible to identify the problems, needs and expectations of those whose lives will be directly affected by the decisions and subsequent interventions. In general, policy initiatives are more likely to succeed if they have been formulated through a participatory process, encouraging participation and engaging with diverse opinions and contributions from community members. Additionally, this process increases accountability insofar as policymakers commit to taking into account different points of view and the experiences of different groups of women [16].

Read more about gender-sensitive participatory processes on Gender Stakeholder consultations .

When to carry out gender analysis

Gender analysis can be applied to different ‘objects’ such as single projects, entire programmes, legislation and/or policy frameworks, along with specific intervention measures within these.

Gender analysis can be carried out at any time and at any stage of the policy cycle, although there are situations that present more opportune moments, such as:

during the initial design of a policy/programme/project (see Gender Planning );
before the implementation of a policy/programme/ project;
during the monitoring and evaluation of a policy/ programme/project to make it possible to understand whether data and information collected is meaningful in terms of gender and responds to the different needs of women and men (see more on Gender Monitoring and Gender Evaluation ).

Regardless of the stage at which gender analysis is carried out, it is most useful when it is applied routinely to all aspects of policy, programme and project planning, implementation and review (rather than as an afterthought or add-on).

Key questions

Examples of key questions to be asked when conducting gender analyses are as follows:

Who is the target (both direct and indirect) of the proposed policy, programme or project? Women, men or both? Who will benefit, who may lose? Which women? Which men?
Have women and men who are challenged by a certain issue been consulted about its solution? How have they been involved in the development of the solution?
What specific mechanisms can be proposed to encourage and enable women to participate in the policy initiative or programme?
Who does what? What do women and men do, and where and when do these activities take place?
Who has what? Who has access to and control of resources, services and decision-making?
Does the policy, programme or project potentially challenge the existing division of tasks, responsibilities and resources among men and women?
How are activity, access and control patterns shaped by the socioeconomic context, structural factors (demographic, legal and institutional) and by cultural and religious aspects?
Where do opportunities or entry points for change exist? And how can they best be used?

Further information

Download the page as a PDF publication

European Commission, Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament — Programme of action for the mainstreaming of gender equality in Community development co-operation , COM(2001) 295 final), 2001.

Queensland government, Gender analysis toolkit , Office for Women, Brisbane, 2009.

International Training Centre of the International Labour Organisation, Training module — Introduction to gender analysis and gender-sensitive indicators , Gender Campus, Turin, 2009.

The European Community of Practice on Gender Mainstreaming (GenderCoP), European standard on gender mainstreaming in the ESF .

European Institute for Gender Equality, Gender Mainstreaming Platform, What is gender mainstreaming .

European Commission, International Cooperation and Development, Toolkit on Mainstreaming Gender Equality in EC Development Cooperation. Section 1: Hand-book on concepts and methods for mainstreaming gender equality .

International Labour Organisation, ILO/SEAPAT’s online gender learning & information module, Unit 1: A conceptual framework for gender analysis and planning .

Moser, C., Gender planning and development — Theory, practice and training, Routledge, New York, 1993.

Levy, C., The process of institutionalising gender in policy and planning: The “web” of institutionalisation , Working Paper No 74, University College London, London, 1996.

United Nations Development Programme, Gender in development programme — Learning & information pack, 2001.

Kabeer, N., Reversed realities — Gender hierarchies in development thought, Verso, London, 1994.

United Nations Development Programme, Gender in Development Programme — Learning & information pack, 2001.

Swedish Gender Mainstreaming Support Committee (JämStöd), Gender mainstreaming manual — A book of practical methods from the Swedish Gender Mainstreaming Support Committee , Stockholm, 2007.

Taylor, V., A quick guide to gender mainstreaming in development planning , Commonwealth Secretariat, London, 1999.

Hunt, J., ‘Introduction to gender analysis concepts and steps’ , Development Bulletin No 64, (2004) pp. 100-106.

Jhpiego, Gender analysis toolkit for health systems .

Leach, F., Practising gender analysis in education , Oxfam Skills and Practice, Oxfam, Oxford, 2003.

March, C., Smith, I. and Mukhopadhyay, M., A guide to gender-analysis frameworks , Oxfam, Oxford, 1999.

SIDA (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency), Gender analysis — principles & elements , March 2015.

The Swedish Gender Equality Agency.

United States Agency for International Development, How to conduct a gender analysis, USAID Assist project, 2017.

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Gender Analysis

Gender analysis is the cornerstone of gender integration. Ideally, it is the first step in a gender integration process.

WHAT IS A GENDER ANALYSIS

Gender analysis is a systematic methodology for examining the differences in roles and norms for women and men, girls and boys; the different levels of power they hold; their differing needs, constraints, and opportunities; and the impact of these differences in their lives.

Is a Gender Analysis Required for All Projects?

Donors are increasingly asking programs to conduct a gender analysis. For example, USAID Global Health Bureau’s custom indicator for reporting on progress on Gender Equality and Female Empowerment Policy is “[t]he proportion of global health projects with a gender strategy implemented in project activities.” To design a well-informed gender strategy that is tailored to the local and project-related gender constraints and opportunities, a gender analysis is highly beneficial and essential when gender is a key component of the project activities or outcomes. The Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development requires funding recipients to conduct a gender analysis as part of its program design phase. Increasingly, other donors are as well.

Why Should We Do a Gender Analysis?

Beyond meeting donor requirements, the purpose of the gender analysis is to answer the following key questions:

How will anticipated results of the work affect women and men differently?
How will the different roles and status of women and men affect the work to be undertaken?

Ultimately, conducting a gender analysis entails understanding and addressing gender inequalities in power and privileges, and the use of tactics, including violence to uphold inequitable rights and privileges. By understanding how these disparities affect health and pose constraints for reaching project objectives, it will help us attain and sustain project impacts. It also helps staff to understand the projects’ contributions to promoting gender equality.

Gender analysis: USAID Working Definition

Gender analysis, as defined by USAID, is an analytic, social science tool that is used to identify, understand, and explain gaps between males and females that exist in households, communities, and countries, and the relevance of gender norms and power relations in a specific context. Such analysis typically involves examining differences in the status of women and men and their differential access to assets, resources, opportunities and services; the influence of gender roles and norms on the division of time between paid employment, unpaid work (including subsistence production and care for family members), and volunteer activities; the influence of gender roles and norms on leadership roles and decision-making; constraints, opportunities, and entry points for narrowing gender gaps and empowering females; and potential differential impacts of development policies and programs on males and females, including unintended or negative consequences (USAID 2013, p. 24)

HOW DO WE DO A GENDER ANALYSIS?

At a minimum, projects should collect secondary information on the gender context of the country to do a basic gender analysis. Often, USAID missions have commissioned gender assessments, which are available on the Development Experience Clearinghouse. In addition, the Demographic and Health Survey modules are often a good source of quantitative data about women’s autonomy, economic status, and attitudes and experience related to gender-based violence. The WomenStats Project talso houses the largest online compilation of quantitative and qualitative data on the status of women, including women’s political participation, land ownership, and domestic violence, in 173 countries. In addition, many countries that are signatories to the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) submit periodic country reports to report on their status of progress on the commitments in CEDAW. Similar reports are often prepared by women’s machineries or women’s rights organizations in the country.

These sources of information provide a general picture on the status and rights of women. To understand in more detail how gender relations and norms affect the individual, household, community, facility and health policy level dynamics that affect uptake and delivery of health services in a given community or region, it may be necessary to collect primary data, when it is not already available from other sources, to answer gender-focused questions tailored to the project interventions and are directed at project actors and beneficiaries, provided that this information is not already available from previous assessment. For example, some key questions across the levels of health intervention are:

Individual: What knowledge do women or men have about reproductive, maternal, neonatal and child health (RMNCH)?
Household: Who decides whether a woman is able to seek care for herself or her child?
Community: What roles do men and women play in allocating community resources to facilitate men’s and women’s access to health care (e.g., roads, transportation, blood and drug supplies, and oversight of health facilities)?
Health facility: How is the delivery of care organized to meet the different needs of men, women, boys, and girls?
Health system governance/policy: How do health policies and resource allocations support gender equality at different levels of the health system?

Gender analysis uses standard social science quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis methods to respond to research questions about how gender differences and inequalities will affect project outcomes and how the project will differentially affect men’s and women’s health, opportunities and status. As gender analysis is comparative and relational, the main difference between a gender analysis and other types of operational and formative social research is that gender analysis requires that men, boys, women, and girls participate equally in the research by answering surveys, and participating in focus groups, interviews, and other qualitative data collection exercises. Quantitative methods are best suited for generating information on measureable gaps and disparities between men and women regarding health status and access to care. Quantitative research is also useful for identifying patterns of inequality and for generating the evidence of strong associations and correlations between gender inequalities and limited access and utilization of health resources and services. Qualitative methods provide greater insight into how men and women experience gender inequalities in different contexts and how these affect their capacity to adopt healthy practices and negotiate the health system to obtain services when needed. Participatory research methods are useful for engaging men and women directly in assessing, questioning, and identifying solutions to gender-related health challenges. These include mapping, decision trees, ranking, or other action research tools that can be used to directly involve local men and women in the research process as participants and partners.

WHEN DO WE DO A GENDER ANALYSIS?

Ideally, a gender analysis is conducted before or at the start of a project to inform the design of the project. The findings of a gender analysis provide the basis for developing gender-sensitive or responsive indicators, which can be used to follow reductions or increases in gender disparities in women and mens’ decision-making, resource control, and leadership, along with sex-disaggregated health indicators to monitor any difference in health outputs and outcomes for men, boys, women, and girls. If it is not possible to conduct the gender analysis at the beginning of a project, it can be useful to do one as a special study or part of a midterm evaluation. In fact, whether or not a gender analysis is conducted at the start of the project, it is important to disaggregate data by sex and track all monitoring data where people are the unit of measure to see if they indicate potential increases or decreases in gender disparities in participation, access to and control over resources, exercise of rights and benefits.

A positive or negative trend may prompt a project to focus data collection during the course of the project to understand what, how, and why gender-based constraints are affecting unequal treatment and outcomes. When instruments designed to measure empowerment are applied at baseline, it is useful to measure the same indicators at endline to evaluate how the project affected the relative status of men and women.

WHO SHOULD DO A GENDER ANALYSIS?

If doing primary data collection, it is important to have trained researchers with strong research skills overseeing the process as well as the data collection. Data collectors that have good facilitation skills are best. If relying on secondary data analysis, it is important to have a gender specialist or someone with some experience or training on gender analysis and integration to analyze the data. The Manual for Integrating Gender into Reproductive Health and HIV Programs also provides step-by-step guidance on using a gender analysis framework (GAF) to summarize and analyze the data to help inform program design. Support and discussion with gender specialists and other technical experts on the project will still be necessary to help prioritize strategies and interventions to integrate into the project to address the gender issues identified in your analysis.

HOW TO CONDUCT A GENDER ANALYSIS?

A gender analysis has two parts. The first part is a process to identify inequalities, gaps, and disparities in a particular context. It consists of collecting information and data on gender roles, relations, and identities related to specific health problems to identify gaps and disparities based on gender differences. The second part of the analysis entails analyzing the information collected on gender differences to determine and prioritize gender-based constraints and opportunities and their implications for the achieving health objectives and equal status of women and men (Caro 2009).

Gender analysis: Part One

Describes existing gender relations in a particular context, ranging from individuals within households, to a larger scale of community, health facility, ethnic group, district or nation. It involves collecting and analyzing not only sex-disaggregated data but also other qualitative and quantitative information that explain these gender relations. The Gender Analysis Tool with Topical Questions pages provide key questions for a range of Jhpiego health areas that can help with designing studies and assessments to collect this information.

Gender analysis: Part Two

Organizes and interprets, in a systematic way, information about gender relations to make clear the importance of gender differences for achieving development objectives. Illustrative Gender Intergration Pathway provides further guidance on how to analyze the data collected, with a particular focus on how to identify gender-based constraints and opportunities, which will inform the project design and M&E processes. To understand more fully how to apply the findings, consult A Manual for Integrating Gender into Reproductive Health and HIV Programs : From Commitment to Action, which provides guidance on how to apply the findings to policy formulation and program design, implementation and M&E.

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How to do a gender analysis: practical guidance for the un community.

by Phoebe Donnelly

Feminist activists have long called for the United Nations community, including member states and UN agencies, to incorporate a “gender perspective” or use a “gender analysis” in their work. In particular, there has been a link between the women, peace and security (WPS) agenda and policies on countering violent extremism (CVE). For example, UN Security Council resolution 2242 , the WPS resolution focused on CVE, advocates for a “gender analysis,” “gender perspective,” and “gender-sensitive research” throughout the resolution. Though the inclusion of such language in resolutions is important, many within the UN community are not clear on what a gender analysis entails. While a general understanding of gender as having to do with men and women exists, this is not enough guidance for conducting a gender analysis or gender-sensitive research.

I frame a gender analysis as a mapping exercise with multiple steps occurring at the same time. The mapping exercise can be applied to understanding gender dynamics within environments where violent extremist organizations (VEOs) are operating. These steps include: asking questions; tracing power dynamics; recognizing intersectional identities; accounting for context; and challenging existing knowledge and conventions.

Asking Questions

Gender analysis involves asking questions about the different experiences of an environment for men, women, boys, girls, and sexual and gender minorities (SGMs ). These questions focus on experiences, expectations, and relationships. Some examples of questions related to CVE policies are, how does this policy affect men differently than women? How does the policy affect boys and girls differently? As part of a gender analysis, one should think beyond intended effects of the policy and consider cascading effects that, for example, cross into the private sphere, have economic impacts, or affect the security of individuals differently.

Power Dynamics

Gender, according to Carol Cohn , is a way of “structuring power,” and so it is important to understand who has access to different forms of power as a result of their gender identity*. *In contexts of conflict where VEOs are operating, a common mistake is to only see power in terms of who is leading a violent group or who has access to weapons. It is useful to take a broader view of power and to recognize power differentials not only between men and women, but also between women, between men, between boys, and between girls.

Intersectional Identities

Gender analyses also recognize intersectional identities . Gender is one way to structure power, but one’s access to power, in all of its forms, differs based not only on one’s gender, but also on one’s religion, class, education, race, ethnicity, age, and many other factors. A gender analysis does not treat women as a monolithic group, but asks questions about different experiences of women, men, boys, girls, and SGMs. For example, when thinking about violence by Islamist extremist organizations, someone conducting a gender analysis might look for information on expectations or norms for Muslim individuals. However, this question is more useful when considering instead the expectations and norms for Muslim men, women, boys, and girls, and how these expectations differ across contexts.

A gender analysis also depends on context. Although different countries, states, and VEOs have similarities and influence each other, it is important to avoid assuming that different contexts will have the same gender dynamics. Expectations about femininity and masculinity vary based on different environments, time periods, and social groups. This is why scholars often refer to “masculinities” in its plural form to capture an array of different forms of masculinity in a context.

While it is useful to make comparisons across contexts, it is also essential to recognize where contexts diverge in gendered expectations. For example, hegemonic masculinity, as explained by David Duriesmith , is the form of masculinity that is most privileged and enjoys the most benefits and power in society. Usually, hegemonic masculinity has some consistent traits, such as being able to provide for and protect one’s family. However, what this provision looks like and what type of protection a man is expected to provide will vary across contexts. A gender analysis also examines patterns over time and recognizes that ideas about gender are changing and co-dependent.

Challenging Existing Knowledge and Conventions

A gender analysis requires a researcher to look for new or innovative sources of information. This is because, as J. Ann Tickner notes , “much of our knowledge about the world has been based on knowledge about men.” One way to incorporate different data would be to speak to women in a society who might be ignored because they are not in positions of public power.

Researchers might also have to be creative to get information about women and to hear from women. For example, in my own work on the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in Uganda, in addition to interviewing women and men in northern Uganda, I also gained an understanding of how women in the LRA interpreted events through reviewing memoirs written by two women— Evelyn Amony and Grace Acan —who were abducted and forcibly married in the LRA. Another tool I used to understand women’s roles in al-Shabaab was to review the court transcripts of two women convicted in Minnesota for fundraising for al-Shabaab.

Research Guidelines

When trying to conduct gender-sensitive research, there are a few approaches that are particularly useful to incorporate during the research process.

The first is to avoid stereotypes or assumptions. This is not just because stereotypes are politically incorrect or offensive. As Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie explains , “the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story.” When doing a gender analysis, researchers should be prepared to be surprised or proven wrong. When researchers rely on preconceived ideas, they miss key patterns (e.g., the use of women as spies or new ideas about masculinity focused on resisting VEOs).

The second is to be willing to see different forms of power, particularly of women. In my own research on gender and al-Shabaab , I had preconceived ideas about the ways in which Somali women were denied power in societies under the group’s control. However, when I actually examined the dynamics in Kismayo, Somalia, a society ruled by al-Shabaab for five years, I realized that al-Shabaab saw women in Kismayo as powerful and threatening. In particular, al-Shabaab saw businesswomen as uniquely powerful and therefore tried to recruit, exploit, and extort them. A gender analysis reveals the complexities of power dynamics in an environment and reveals the common flaws in simplistic and binary assumptions.

The third is to approach gender analysis with an open mind. Open-mindedness is especially important for anyone seeking to understand gender in a foreign context. As an outsider, researchers should be aware of their own positionality and biases and the ways in which ideas about power, masculinities, and femininities are inherently part of the way they see the world and understand other environments.

The WPS community frequently critiques gender analyses for being simplistic and for thinking gender equates merely to the inclusion of women. To actually see actors across the UN adopt a more nuanced and thoughtful gender analyses requires not only modeling what a gender analysis looks like, but also explaining it in a way that empowers others to adopt the tool.

Phoebe Donnelly is a research fellow at the International Peace Institute (IPI) helping to lead the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) program. This piece is based off her recent chapter entitled “ Demystifying Gender Analysis for Research on Violent Extremism ,” published by RESOLVE Network .

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How to Do a Gender Analysis: Practical Guidance for the UN Community

The UN mission in South Sudan holds a conflict management forum with internally displaced persons. (UN Photo/JC McIlwaine)

Asking Questions

Power Dynamics

Gender, according to Carol Cohn , is a way of “structuring power,” and so it is important to understand who has access to different forms of power as a result of their gender identity . In contexts of conflict where VEOs are operating, a common mistake is to only see power in terms of who is leading a violent group or who has access to weapons. It is useful to take a broader view of power and to recognize power differentials not only between men and women, but also between women, between men, between boys, and between girls.

Intersectional Identities

Challenging Existing Knowledge and Conventions

Research Guidelines

When trying to conduct gender-sensitive research, there are a few approaches that are particularly useful to incorporate during the research process.

Phoebe Donnelly is a research fellow at the International Peace Institute (IPI), helping to lead the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) program. She is also a research fellow at the Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard Kennedy School. This piece is based off her recent chapter entitled “ Demystifying Gender Analysis for Research on Violent Extremism , ” published by RESOLVE Network.

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Gender mainstreaming: gender analysis

December 2018.

In this way, conducting a gender analysis allows for the development of interventions that address gender inequalities and meet the different needs of women and men.

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Gender Analysis

Whether you are an evaluator or someone commissioning evaluation, any intervention to be evaluated that takes place within human society and involves human interactions will have gendered dimensions.

And that means that you as an evaluator should be able to identify and analyse those gendered dimensions.

But the way in which this analysis is done will depend on how the evaluator (and the intervention being evaluated) thinks about gender in the first place.

Note: Gender is one of many ‘markers of difference’ along which humans tend to judge each other. Other such markers include disability, ethnicity, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, sexuality, or socio-economic status. The ways in which these markers of difference intersect to increase marginalisation, exclusion and inequity is also vitally important for evaluators to keep in mind.

What do we mean by gender?

‘Gender affects everyone, all of the time. Gender affects the way we see each other, the way we interact, the institutions we create, the ways in which those institutions operate, and who benefits or suffers as a result of this.’ (Fletcher, 2015: Addressing Gender In Impact Evaluation: What Should Be Considered? )

The importance of considering gender is widely acknowledged in evaluation Terms of Reference , training curricula, evaluation-related publications and evaluation reports. But these documents often fail to clearly define what they mean by the term. There can be an assumption that the word is clearly understood, but in reality there is no one accepted way to understand what gender is. And that means there is no one accepted way of doing ‘gender analysis’. Similarly, there is no one way of doing feminist evaluation (as noted on the BetterEvaluation feminist evaluation theme page ). This is about your way of thinking.

With that in mind, this theme page will begin by exploring the meaning of gender before moving on to issues of gender analysis.

There are many different definitions of gender, but the majority focus on unfair differences in the ways that women and men ( categories of people) are treated in our societies. For example:

‘Gender refers to the roles, behaviours, activities, and attributes that a given society at a given time considers appropriate for women and men … In most societies there are differences and inequalities between women and men in responsibilities assigned, activities undertaken, access to and control over resources, as well as decision-making opportunities.’ ( UN Women Gender Equality Glossary )

Alternatively gender can be defined as:

‘a process of judgement and value … related to stereotypes and norms of what it is to be masculine or feminine, regardless of your born sex category … certain forms of femininity and masculinity are given greater value than others (with particular forms of dominant masculinity usually having the greatest access to power and resources).’ (Fletcher, 2015: Addressing Gender In Impact Evaluation: What Should Be Considered? )

What do we mean by gender analysis?

If one takes the first definition provided above as a starting point, then analysing the gendered aspect of an intervention would involve focusing on the differences between men and women within that intervention. For example, are there equal numbers of men and women involved in the intervention and, if not, why not.

If one takes the second definition as a starting point, then analysing the gendered aspect of an intervention would involve examining the judgements, stereotypes and norms related to masculinity and femininity that occur in the intervention’s context and, from there, exploring the effect these stereotypes and norms had on the intended intervention outcomes.

The difference between these two definitions is a crucial one when it comes to evaluating change. The first definition is looking for change in ‘differences and inequalities between women and men’ while the second one is looking for change in the ‘process of judgement and value’ that rewards certain forms of masculinity and femininity while punishing others.

This is an important difference. Gender analysis that is based on the seemingly binary categories of women/men looks for changes in the numbers, and ways, that men and women are engaged in an intervention.

Gender analysis that is based on processes of judgment, norms and stereotypes looks for whether, and how, changes have occurred during the intervention in judgements, stereotypes and norms related to masculinity and femininity, and the effects of those changes.

Taken from a Guidance Note on impact evaluation (Fletcher, 2015: Addressing Gender In Impact Evaluation: What Should Be Considered? ), the following table demonstrates the gendered dimensions of an intervention, when analysed for its effect on (a)gender as process of judgement, and (b) gender as category (men/women). This work draws on Patricia Rogers’ (2012) key evaluation questions for impact evaluation :

Table 1: Gender as a process vs. gender as a category in a road-building intervention

Important issues and considerations.

It is worth repeating that every evaluation of an intervention that occurs within human society and involves human interactions will have gendered dimensions, whether or not these gendered dimensions are acknowledged within the intervention design, explicit or implicit theory of change (an implicit theory of change can also be understood as a ‘mental model’ ) and/or intervention implementation.

If, having examined an intervention’s documentation and having spoken to key stakeholders you can find no reference at all to gender in any form (gender as man/woman or gender as process of judgements, stereotypes and norms on masculinity and femininity), it is fair to identify the intervention as ‘gender blind’. In other words, it ‘ignores gender considerations all together’ ( Interagency Gender Working Group, undated ).

The implications of this would then need to be explored; and the depth of the analysis undertaken in exploring this will depend in large part on the resources available for the evaluation. It may well be that your gender analysis of such an intervention cannot go much beyond saying ‘this intervention is gender blind, and as such falls below the minimum standards expected’.

An intervention that ‘examines and addresses … gender considerations’ can be defined as ‘gender aware’ ( Interagency Gender Working Group, undated ) but then needs to be further analysed to see where it lies on what has been called ‘the gender continuum’:

The gender continuum moves from exploitative (reinforces or takes advantage of inequalities and stereotypes) through accommodating (works around existing gender differences) to transformative (critically examines gender norms and creates or strengthens systems of gender equality)

An ‘exploitative’ intervention with regards to HIV prevention would be one that takes cultural judgements around gender and sexuality then uses them to promote ‘good’ behaviour: telling young women they will be ‘spoilt’ if they have sex before marriage, or saying that men who have sex with men (and who are often judged within society as ‘not real men’) are vectors of disease, when the risk lies in unprotected anal sex regardless of the sex of the bodies involved.

An ‘accommodating’ intervention would be one that ‘does not rock the boat’, for instance by claiming it would be ‘culturally inappropriate’ to involve sex workers or trans women in ‘women’s projects’ or accepting that, in an intervention working with civil society organisations, all those organisations are run by men (who will no doubt be from the majority religious and ethnic group in the intervention site).

A ‘transformative’ intervention would be one that works on gender processes; in other words, one that goes beyond the men/women categorical approach and that looks at judgements, stereotypes and norms of masculinity and femininity, and how they are applied regardless of the sex assigned to a body at birth. Referring back to Addressing Gender in Impact Evaluation :

Focusing on the stereotypes, norms and judgements related to masculinity and femininity (rather than on male/female) frees us up to think about the processes through which certain forms of femininity and masculinity are given greater value than others (with particular forms of dominant masculinity usually having the greatest access to power and resources).

Examples would include an intervention that shifted people’s ideas of what it takes to be ‘a leader’ (often considered to be something that requires certain traits seen as being dominantly masculine, such as lack of compassion and willingness to engage in conflict over conciliation; take for example the former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher). An intervention that supported women’s right to contraception could also be gender transformative, if it did so by challenging the view (often held by women, as well as by men) that women who do not have children are somehow ‘lesser’ or that sex for pleasure is incompatible with ‘femininity’.

It is important to know which category the intervention to be evaluated falls into because this will determine, in part, what you can expect to achieve with using a gender analysis as part of your evaluation. In all instances, however, the role of the evaluator is to bring to light the positive and negative effects of the intervention in relation to gender. Sometimes these effects will be intended; often they will be unintended.

How to do a gender analysis

There are many different tools promoted for undertaking gender analysis. However many of these are based on a purely categorical understanding of gender, where ‘men’ and ‘women’ are seen as homogenous groups that are somehow in opposition to each other. The dynamics of gender—the ways in which we all participate in (re)creating norms and stereotypes against which we judge ourselves and others—are usually lost.

The reality is that there is no single, sure fire, A-Z way of doing gender analysis. But there are key steps to follow:

Question yourself: How do you think about gender? (How aware are you of the intersections between gender and other markers of difference that feed inequity?

Identify whether the intervention to be evaluated is gender blind or gender aware: Start with a desk review of key documents, such as funding applications/design documents; monitoring reports; theory of change or other logic model if available; but supplement this using different methods: see following section. N.B.: doing a word search on ‘gender’ in key documents is not the same as analysing the documents for gendered content. It is entirely possible for an intervention to not actually use the word ‘gender’ but to still challenge stereotypes and norms. Equally, there are many interventions where the documents use the word ‘gender’ widely but the intervention itself is gender blind.

Gender blind interventions: If, based on this first stage, the intervention is gender blind (in that it pays no attention to gender, either in categorical terms or in terms of processes of judgement), then say so! If resources allow, it would also be appropriate to draw out some of the consequences of this gender blindness. There are many resources to draw on that clearly define gender as a required component of evaluation of interventions that take place within human society and involve human interactions. (This page is one such resource; others include the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Monitoring and Evaluation Guidelines , the Australasian Evaluation Society Guidelines for the Ethical Conduct of Evaluations , which deserves praise for also requiring account to be taken of other markers of difference, not just gender; and the United Nations Evaluation Group , whose latest resource is listed below.)

Gender aware interventions: If, based on stage two above, you determine that the intervention is gender aware, how would you describe its understanding of gender? There may not be an explicit explanation—this is often missing—but you will be able to tell by what is done, with whom, and how. Refer back to Tables 1 and 2 for examples of how the different types of gender might play out in the same intervention. Easy questions to keep in mind are: ‘does this intervention engage differently with men and women?’ or ‘does this intervention engage with judgements, stereotypes and norms about masculinity and femininity?’. As we are talking about evaluation, your over-arching questions for either understanding of gender should be: What gendered changes have occurred as the intended, or unintended, results of the intervention? (descriptive question) What explains those changes? (causal question) and, if you are undertaking an impact evaluation, ‘What does this say about the value of the intervention?’ (evaluative question) . If the evaluation is a process evaluation, then you would need to think about ‘How can the intervention be adapted to reduce any negative changes, increase positive changes, and ensure that the intervention’s theory of change or mental model is appropriate?

There is a large range of methods available to the evaluator as they move through the steps above. As with all forms of social enquiry, the method adopted should be coherent with your evaluation logic. What do you want to know, who can help you find that out, and finally which method(s) are most appropriate? Selection of method cannot be your starting point in gender analysis; thinking your logic through has to come first.

And remember; as with feminist evaluation, gender analysis is, after all, an exercise in exploring inequities and promoting social justice. As such it sits most comfortably with ‘participatory, empowering’ methods ( Podems, 2016 ).

The Institute of Development Studies manages a Participatory Methods website that has a specific section on participatory monitoring and evaluation, as well as providing details on a wide range of methods that can be used to support gender analysis.

The World Bank Group also has a list of methods (archived link) ranging from desk review to stakeholder workshops and social mapping .

This UN Women Independent Evaluation Service guide on the Inclusive Systemic Evaluation for Gender equality, Environments and Marginalized voices (ISE4GEMs) approach brings together innovative systemic evaluation practice with intersectional analysis.

This guide by Gillian Fletcher helps to clarify the meaning of gender as socially constructed norms and expectations around masculinity and femininity as opposed to the common misunderstanding of gender as the biological sex difference between men and women. The guide explains the implications of this crucial distinction for categorizing interventions with an explicit or implicit gender focus and for assessing their impact on gender-related injustice and inequality. The guide recommends specific steps in assessing gender-related impact including: understanding and classifying how an intervention seeks to engage with gender; defining gender-sensitive evaluation questions to address gender impact; and, methods and tools that are particularly helpful in answering such questions.

Developed by Status of Women Canada (2017), GBA+ is an analytical process used to assess how diverse groups of women, men and non-binary people may experience policies, programs and initiatives. The “plus” in GBA+ acknowledges that GBA goes beyond biological (sex) and socio-cultural (gender) differences. We all have multiple identity factors that intersect to make us who we are; GBA+ also considers many other identity factors, like race, ethnicity, religion, age, and mental or physical disability.’ The Government of Canada is committed to using GBA+ analysis in all of its work. The link provided above enables access to a range of materials and resources, including a ‘GBA+ Research Guide’. While still taking a firmly categorical approach that prioritises types of individuals over process of exclusion, GBA+ is a very interesting example of a way in which government can shape these debates.

Engendering Transformative Thinking and Practice in International Development draws on a range of real world examples which demonstrate both the limitations of the frameworks currently in use, and the very real possibilities for change when the intersecting social hierarchies that sustain and create inequity and inequality are challenged. This book brings together theoretical perspectives on social change, gender, intersectionality, and forms of knowledge, concluding with a set of proposals for revitalising a change agenda that recognises and engages with intersectionality and practical wisdom. Perfect for students and scholars of social change, gender, and development, this book will also be useful for practitioners looking for new ideas to help to generate social change.

This article by Emily Hillenbrand et al. (2014) discusses the application of Naila Kabeer’s Social Relations Approach (SRA) to gender analysis ‘to frame a baseline gender analysis of a food security project undertaken in Cambodia’. The project was being implemented as a randomised control trial; this paper demonstrates the ways in which such an approach is not ‘fit for purpose’ when trying to shift social norms, because it does not allow for adaptation and change based on learning generated during implementation. However use of the SRA helped those involved to highlight ‘the nuances and complexities of gender relations’, as well as ‘listening closely – and responding to – what women (and men) themselves consider to be empowering and positive indicators of change’. The authors noted: ‘An analysis approach such as this that emphasises processes of gender change and the dynamic nature of gender relations and institutional changes also requires effective process-monitoring and learning tools that facilitate introspection and interpretation of changes over time’ (emphasis in original).

Discussion Papers

The aim of this WHO working paper is to assist countries to better consider issues of gender and equity in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) efforts, and to 'inform the implementation of strategies in national action plans and contribute to improved reach and effectiveness of AMR efforts in the longer term.’ While highly health specific, the Working Paper offers a range of interesting and insightful reflections on gender analysis, for example: ‘A gender analysis can be used to review health education and behaviour change strategies to check that they are not gender blind (i.e. ignoring the differences in opportunities and resource allocation for women and men) and or don’t reinforce gender inequalities by relying on traditional gender norms and stereotypes e.g. assuming that young men are not interested in healthy behaviours and are not amenable to behaviour change’.

This week, EvalPartners will be launching EvalGender+, the global partnership for equity-focused and gender-responsive evaluations. The launch is part of the Global Evaluation Week in Kathmandu to celebrate the International Year of Evaluation.

I am at the European Evaluation Society conference in Helsinki and I attended the gender and evaluation session to learn more about approaches and practices.

Fletcher, G. (2015). Addressing gender in impact evaluation. A Methods Lab Publication. London: Overseas Development Institute & Melbourne: BetterEvaluation. Retrieved from www.betterevaluation.org/en/resources/addressing_gender_in_impact_evaluation

Fletcher, G. (2018). Engendering transformative change in international development. London, New York: Routledge. 186pp.

Hillenbrand, E. et al. (2014) 'Using the Social Relations Approach to capture complexity in women's empowerment: using gender analysis in the Fish on Farms project in Cambodia'. In Gender & Development, 22:2, pp.351-368. Retrieved from: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13552074.2014.920992

Interagency Gender Working Group (n.d.). Gender Integration Continuum. Retrieved from: www.igwg.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/FG_GendrIntegrContinuum.pdf

Podems, D. and Negroustoueva, S. (2016) Feminist evaluation. BetterEvaluation. Retrieved from http://www.betterevaluation.org/approaches/feminist_evaluation

Status of Women Canada (2017). Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+). Ottawa, Canada: Status of Women Canada. Retrieved from: cfc-swc.gc.ca/gba-acs/index-en.html

Stephens, A., Lewis, E.D. and Reddy,S.M. (2018). Inclusive Systemic Evaluation (ISE4GEMs): A New Approach for the SDG Era. New York: UN Women. Retrieved from http://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2018/9/ise4gems-a-new-approach-for-the-sdg-era#view

WHO (2018). Tackling Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Together. Working Paper 5.0: Enhancing the Focus on Gender and Equity. Geneva: World Health Organization. Retrieved from: https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/336975

Expand to view all resources related to 'Gender Analysis'

Applying a human rights and gender equality lens to the OECD evaluation criteria
Equitable evaluation: Voices from the Global South
Evaluation and Gender Equality: Why we need more feminist evaluations (Webinar)
Feminist evaluation and gender approaches: There’s a difference?
Gender analysis tools
Gender and evaluation international online community of practice
My “home-made” evaluation tools to avoid gender (and equity) blindness by Sara Vaca
Tool kit on gender equality results and indicators

'Gender Analysis' is referenced in:

Adapting evaluation in the time of COVID-19 - Part 1: Manage
Gender injustice and inequality: what helps in assessing impact?

Labour: This refers to changes in tasks, level of skill required (skilled versus unskilled, formal education, training) and labour capacity (how many people and how much they can do; do people need to be hired or can members of the household do it?)
Time: This refers to changes in the amount of time (3 hours, 4 days, and so on) it takes to carry out the task associated with the project or activity.
Resources: This refers to the changes in access to capital (income, land, credit) as a consequence of the project, and the extent of control over changes in resources (more or less) for each level of analysis.
Culture: Cultural factors refer to changes in social aspects of the participants' lives (changes in gender roles or status) as a result of the project.

Contributors
Links
Translations
What is Gendered Innovations ?

Sex & Gender Analysis

Analyzing Sex
Analyzing Gender
Analyzing Additional Variables
Rethinking Research Priorities and Outcomes
Rethinking Concepts and Theories
Formulating Research Questions
Study Design in Biomedical Research
Engineering Innovation Processes
Participatory Research and Design
Rethinking Standards and Reference Models
Rethinking Language and Visual Representations
Sex and Gender are Distinct Terms
Interactions between Sex and Gender
Gender Dimension
Not Considering Sex Differences as a Problem
Overemphasizing Sex Differences as a Problem
Women & Men
Femininities & Masculinities
Race & Ethnicity
Stereotypes
Engineering
Health & Medicine
Tissues & Cells
Urban Planning & Design

Case Studies

Animal Research
Brain Research
Genetics of Sex Determination
Colorectal Cancer
De-Gendering the Knee
Dietary Assessment Method
Heart Disease in Women
Nanotechnology-Based Screening for HPV
Nutrigenomics
Osteoporosis Research in Men
Assistive Technologies for the Elderly
Gendering Social Robots
Haptic Technology
HIV Microbicides
Human Thorax Model
Information for Air Travelers
Machine Learning
Machine Translation
Making Machines Talk
Pregnant Crash Test Dummies
Video Games
Climate Change
Gender Mainstreaming in Decision-Making
Environmental Chemicals
Housing and Neighborhood Design
Menstrual Cups
Public Transportation
Water Infrastructure
Major Granting Agencies
Peer-Reviewed Journals
United Nations
Disparities between Women and Men
Subtle Gender Bias
Solutions and Best Practices

Methods of Sex And Gender Analysis

Designing sex and gender analysis into basic and applied research.

This section presents state-of-the art methods of sex and gender analysis. Methods of sex and gender analysis serve to enhance objectivity in science and engineering. As with any set of methods, new ones will be fashioned and others discarded as circumstances change. Some transfer easily from science to science, others do not. The value of their implementation depends, as with other research methods, on the creativity of the research team. There is no recipe that can simply be plugged into research design. Researchers will want to consider all methods and think creatively about how these methods can enhance their own research.

This website section presents general methodology. Methods are applied in case studies.

Formulating Research Questions / Envisioning Design

Analyzing Research Priorities and Social Outcomes
Participatory Research
Redefining Key Concepts
Rethinking Theory
Analyzing Reference Models
Analyzing Knowledge Created through Social Divisions of Labor (Physical and Cognitive)
Rethinking Language and Visual Representation
Analyzing Academic Disciplines
Analyzing Covariates
Formulating Research Questions and Envisioning Design
Analyzing Research Priorities and Potential Outcomes
Analyzing Knowledge Created through Gendered Divisions of Labor
Analyzing Standards and Reference Models
Analyzing Language and Visual Representation

Gender Analysis

Gender relations and gender roles are two interrelated but distinct concepts. Gender relations refer to ways in which society defines rights, responsibilities, and identities of men and women in relation to one another, in all spheres of life, and at the intersection of other factors such as ethnicity, age, class, religion, and geographical location ( Tool B5.03 ). Gender relations, in turn, determine entitlement systems, divisions of labour and employment opportunities, patterns of production, and power sharing at all levels. Gender roles include productive and reproductive roles, community managing roles, and community or politics roles related to decision-making processes. The unequal value placed on roles of women compared with men is mainly responsible for their inferior status and the persistent gender discrimination they experience. Gender analysis provides the basis for addressing inequalities in policies, programmes, and projects, and can be conducted at multiple levels (household, community, and national), across different life stages and in the various roles men and women play.

Different types of gender analyses can be conducted:

Context analysis screens and assesses a number of socio-economic patterns that influence how men and women make a living, their strategies for coping with challenges, and their options for development ( Maobe and Atela, 2021 ).
Gender-sensitive stakeholder analysis aims at identifying the male and female stakeholders or institutions/groups to be involved in the project; establishes how a problem affects different stakeholders and their views on what will contribute to solving problems; determines their priorities and decides how to best address their interests and needs; overcomes the constraints on their participation or access to the project's benefits; and finds out how different male and female stakeholders are likely to affect or be affected by the project, in order to make appropriate decisions on involving each stakeholder ( Diamond and Lellement, 2014 ).
Livelihood analysis tries to answer the questions of who does what, who uses what, and who controls what. It allows for learning about the activities of different people and their relative access to resources for basic needs and income, as well as their sources of expenditures and income.
Gender-sensitive needs assessment involves determining the specific needs and priorities of different socio-economic groups, setting priorities for action, collecting data disaggregated by sex and age for planning, and determining the anticipated impact of the project on the most vulnerable subjects, both men and women ( Kohler et al., 2019 ).

For all these types of analysis, using participatory tools is highly recommended in order to collect sex-disaggregated data ( Tool C5.02 ), ensure context specific data collection methods, include male and female participants to help prevent biases, engage the intended beneficiaries from the start, and also give voice to disadvantaged and vulnerable groups of men and women. Some common participatory methods and techniques for gender analysis are: village resource maps, seasonal labour calendars transect walks, Venn diagrams, institutional profiles, farming system diagrams, changing farming practices, daily activity clocks, flow diagrams, problem analysis charts, capacity and vulnerability analysis matrices, seasonal food security calendars, cognitive interviewing, participatory GIS and mapping, and more ( Dixon and Lija, 2008 ; IDS, 2011 ; ODI, 2016 ; SANBI, 2018 ).

How can these tools for analysis be practised specifically in the water sector? There are several examples illustrating how to promote gender equality in agricultural water management field projects, focusing on irrigation. Chyon et al. (2017) published a comparative gender analysis on two irrigation projects in Sri Lanka and Ecuador. The purpose was to illustrate how irrigation projects can succeed or fail based on whether gender issues are integrated or not. The FAO has developed the Socio-Economic and Gender Analysis (SEAGA) irrigation guide ( Jordans, 1998 ). It encourages participatory planning of irrigation schemes to improve their performance and strengthen the position of women and vulnerable groups in rural areas. Further examples of gender analysis tools specifically used in the water sector are Water Point and Water Supply Mapping exercises or GBV Risk Assessment and Situational Analysis tools, especially in emergency contexts. The latter is mostly used for working with a community of women to highlight where they feel in danger of being harassed or attacked while aiming to find out which protective mechanisms could be put in place to prevent or reduce the risk of GBV in the identified zones and beyond. Additional publications are included in this tool which offer gender analysis guides applicable in Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH), Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), flood, or drought contexts, and more.

A large collection of sources is presented to help build the foundations of the field; including (but not limited to): glossaries and definition of key questions and concepts; gender strategies from outstanding organisations; tools and easy-to-use guides for gender analysis and how to mainstream it in the different stages of the project cycle (and during the COVID-19 crisis); qualitative and quantitative tools for the collection of gender-disaggregated data; participatory, collaborative, and inclusive methods; training webinars and workshops, charts and infographics, case studies from various areas of interest, and links to additional publications, events and projects.

A1.01. Preparation of a National Water Resources Policy
A1.02. Policies with Relation to Water Resources
A1.03. Climate Change Policies
A1.04. Gender and Water Policies
A2.01. Water Rights
A2.02. International Water Law
A2.03. Water Allocation Regimes
A2.04. The Rights of Rivers
A2.05. Human Rights Based Approach
A2.06. Customary Water Law
A3.01. National IWRM Plans
A3.02. Basin Management Plans
A3.03. Groundwater Management Plans
A3.04. Coastal Zone Management Plans
A3.05. Integrated Urban Water Management Plans
A3.06. Integrated Drought Management Plans
A3.07. Integrated Flood Management Plans
A3.08. National Adaptation Plans
B1.01. Regulatory Bodies and Enforcement Agencies
B1.02. Local Authorities
B1.03. Monitoring and Evaluation Bodies
B1.04. Impact Assessment Committees
B1.05. Water Integrity and Anti-corruption
B2.01. Public sector water utilities
B2.02. Private sector water service providers
B2.03. Community-based water supply and management organisations
B3.01. Transboundary Organisations
B3.02. National Apex Bodies
B3.03. Civil Society Organisations
B3.04. Basin Organisations
B3.05. Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships
B3.06. Institutional Mapping
B4.01. Information Gathering and Sharing Networks
B4.02. Training Water Professionals
B4.03. Communities of Practice
B5.01. Gender Analysis
B5.02. Gender Indicators
B5.03. Intersectional Methods
B5.04. Climate Change and Gender
B5.05. Agriculture, Irrigation and Gender
B5.06. WASH and Gender
C1.01. Risk Assessment
C1.02. Vulnerability Assessment
C1.03. Stakeholder Analysis
C1.04. Social Assessment
C1.05. Ecosystem Assessment
C1.06. Environmental Impact Assessment
C1.07. Strategic Environmental Assessment
C1.08. Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis
C1.10. Source-to-Sea Management
C1.09. Nexus Framework
C2.01. Geographic Information System
C2.02. Shared Vision Planning and Collaborative Modelling
C2.03. Serious Games
C2.04. Socio-Hydrological Modelling
C2.05. Monitoring and Evaluation Systems
C3.01. Demand Efficiency
C3.02. Supply Efficiency
C3.03. Recycle and Reuse
C3.04. Nature Based Solutions
C4.01. Pricing for Water and Water Services
C4.02. Water Markets
C4.03. Tradable Pollution Permits
C4.04. Pollution Charges
C4.05. Subsidies
C4.06. Payments for Ecosystem Services
C5.01. Youth Engagement and Empowerment
C5.02. Behaviour Change Communication
C5.03. Virtual Water
C5.04. Valuing Water
C5.05. Corporate Stewardship
C6.01. Negotiation
C6.02. Facilitation and Mediation
C6.03. Conflict Management
C6.04. Water Diplomacy
D1.01. Evaluating Water Investments
D1.02. Economic Value of Water
D1.03. Business Model Canvas
D1.04. Water-Related Financial Disclosures
D1.05. Impact Investment Market Maps
D1.06. Gender Responsive Budgeting
D2.01. Integrated National Financing Frameworks
D2.02. Strategic Financial Planning
D2.03. Generating Basic Revenues for Water
D2.04. Repayable sources of finance for water
D2.05. Blended Finance
D2.06. Water and Climate Finance
D2.07. Transboundary financing

Gender, Agriculture and Water Insecurity

Operationalising participatory research and gender analysis: new research and assessment approaches, gender intersectionality and disaster risk reduction-context analysis.

Moment of debate in the ARA-Sul,IP meeting room about the impact of premature unions on women empowerment’s

Mozambique: The Gender, Environment and Climate Change Strategy

Kenya: Promoting gender equality in human capital development by the Murang'a Water and Sanitation Company

India: Community watershed management societies in rural India

IMAGES

Steps to Conduct a Gender Analysis
PPT
PPT
Using a Gender Analysis to design Community Developent projects
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Gender Analysis.pptx

VIDEO

Gender Analysis|Gender School and Society|B.Ed Notes #rmpssu #dbrau
Gender budgeting
GESI Contextual Analysis Tool
Healthcare Equity: Dr. Thenjiwe Sisimayi on Integrating the Gender Lens
BA 6th semester 3rd year Home science 2nd Question paper Research Methodology and Gender Development
BA SIXTH SEMESTER HOME SCIENCE [RESEARCH METHODOLOGY &GENDER DEVELOPMENT]PAPER-2 SYLLABUS 2024

COMMENTS

PDF HOW TO CONDUCT A GENDER ANALYSIS
4 1.2. WHAT RESOURCES DO WE NEED FOR AN EFFECTIVE GENDER ANALYSIS?1 Specialized expertise in gender issues and/or sector-specific needs, and an allocation of financial resources for analyses. Access to national gender statistics, and operations research (i.e., findings derived from testing pilot projects, and from programme monitoring and evaluation).
Seven Steps to A Gender Analysis
The Jhpiego Gender Analysis Toolkit focuses principally on Steps 4 and 5 below—the identification of critical information gaps and the development and implementation of a data collection plan. ... the gender-related research questions to be asked, the data to be gathered, source of the data, who will collect it, methods for data collection ...
Gender analysis
The following are three suggested steps to take when carrying out gender analysis. 1. Collecting available data. The first step is to collect available data and information and to identify data gaps. Identify relevant data to provide a picture of the gender equality situation in a given context. Draw on existing qualitative and quantitative ...
PDF What is gender analysis and why does it matter
data. Gender analysis identifies gender gaps, reveals systematic or unconscious gender biases and allows for a better understanding of how policies affect women and men, as well as girls and boys, differently due to the discrepancies in social roles, travel patterns, transport preferences and behaviour (Ng and Acker, 2018). The United Nation's ...
PDF A Guide to Gender-Analysis Frameworks
This short guide to gender-analysis tools and gender frameworks is based on a pack developed in 19 9 6 for the use of Oxfam staff and partners. The book aims to be a stand-alone resource, discussing the methodologies of the best known analytical frameworks which have been used to integrate gender conside-rations into development initiatives.
Gender Analysis Toolkit For Health Systems
Gender analysis is a systematic methodology for examining the differences in roles and norms for women and men, girls and boys; the different levels of power they hold; their differing needs, constraints, and opportunities; and the impact of these differences in their lives.
PDF GENDER ANALYSIS GUIDE
Gender Analysis Guide - Page 5 How to do gender analysis There are a number of conceptual frameworks outlining how to do gender analysis. An overview of the four main ones, including their pros and cons, is available here. PIN draws on them but simplifies them into a set of guiding questions and recommended tools, methods and resources. All ...
How to Do a Gender Analysis: Practical Guidance for the UN ...
A gender analysis reveals the complexities of power dynamics in an environment and reveals the common flaws in simplistic and binary assumptions. The third is to approach gender analysis with an ...
PDF GENDER ANALYSIS IN TECHNICAL AREAS
6.3 quick checklist for using the findings of gender analysis 26 7. case study: gender analysis of climate risk insurance in ethiopia 27 annex 1. overview: steps and tools for a sector-specific gender analysis 29 annex 2. gender and cdrfi glossary 30 annex 3. sample terms of reference to conduct a gender analysis in cdrfi 32 annex 4.
PDF Gender Mainstreaming Gender analysis
Gender analysis is essential to the mainstream-ing of a gender perspective through the policy cycle. It is a preparatory step for the planning stage and serves to inform the development policies, programmes and projects which re-spond to the diferent needs of women and men.
How to Do a Gender Analysis: Practical Guidance for the UN Community
I frame a gender analysis as a mapping exercise with multiple steps occurring at the same time. The mapping exercise can be applied to understanding gender dynamics within environments where violent extremist organizations (VEOs) are operating. These steps include: asking questions; tracing power dynamics; recognizing intersectional identities ...
Gender mainstreaming: gender analysis
Gender analysis provides the necessary data and information to integrate a gender perspective into policies, programmes and projects. As a starting point for gender mainstreaming, gender analysis identifies the differences between and among women and men in terms of their relative position in society and the distribution of resources, opportunities, constraints and power in a given context.
Gender analysis
Gender analysis is a type of socio-economic analysis that uncovers how gender relations affect a development problem. The aim may just be to show that gender relations will probably affect the solution, or to show how they will affect the solution and what could be done. Gender analysis frameworks provide a step-by-step methodology for ...
PDF Appendix A. Methodology for Gender Analysis
Appendix A. Methodology for Gender Analysis Chapter 1 describes IEG's analysis of the approach adopted by World Bank Group projects and country strategies to address gender issues, and the features of its monitoring and evaluation (M&E) frameworks. The analysis used an in-depth review of
Gender Analysis
Selection of method cannot be your starting point in gender analysis; thinking your logic through has to come first. And remember; as with feminist evaluation, gender analysis is, after all, an exercise in exploring inequities and promoting social justice. As such it sits most comfortably with 'participatory, empowering' methods (Podems, 2016).
What is Gender Analysis?
Gender analysis: examines the differences in women's and men's lives, including those which lead to social and economic inequity for women, and applies this understanding to policy development and service delivery. is concerned with the underlying causes of these inequities. aims to achieve positive change for women.
How to do (or not to do)… gender analysis in health systems research
Abstract. Gender—the socially constructed roles, behaviours, activities and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for males, females and other genders—affects how people live, work and relate to each other at all levels, including in relation to the health system. Health systems research (HSR) aims to inform more strategic ...
Gender Inclusive Development: An Exploration of Gender Analysis
It is an analytical tool that uses participatory methodology to facilitate the definition and analysis of gender issues by the communities that are affected by them. Using the Gender Analysis Matrix will provide a unique articulation of issues as well as develop gender analysis capacity from the grassroots level up.
PDF A Sample Gender Analysis
deeper root causes of gender inequality and support female empowerment for maximizing program impact for food security. The purpose of this case study is to provide an overview of the gender analysis methodology, major findings and recommendations. It serves to contribute to wider program learning on how to develop more gender-
Methods of Sex And Gender Analysis
Methods of sex and gender analysis serve to enhance objectivity in science and engineering. As with any set of methods, new ones will be fashioned and others discarded as circumstances change. Some transfer easily from science to science, others do not. The value of their implementation depends, as with other research methods, on the creativity ...
Gender Analysis
Gender analysis is the study of the different roles of men and women in order to understand what they do, what resources they have, and what their needs and priorities are. Different types of gender analyses can be conducted, including context analysis, stakeholder analysis, livelihood analysis, and needs assessment. This tool presents different types and methodologies for conducting gender ...
Gender Analysis Matrix
The Gender Analysis Matrix is an analytical tool that uses participatory methodology to facilitate the definition and analysis of gender issues by the communities that are affected by them. Using the Gender Analysis Matrix will provide a unique articulation of issues as well as develop gender analysis capacity from the grassroots level up.
(PDF) Gender Research and Feminist Methodologies
lenging gender inequalities in law and society. The chapter draws on legal. methods combined with feminist social theories that have assisted feminist. scholars to go about legal reforms ...
Gendered capital in psychotherapy: A thematic analysis of patients
Background The impact of therapists' and patients' gender on therapy processes and outcomes remains a subject of intense debate in psychotherapy research. Aims This article explores the role of gender in psychotherapy from the patients' perspective. Method By conducting semi‐structured interviews with 20 patients undergoing individual psychotherapy in private practices in Austria, the ...

Gender analysis

What is gender analysis?

Definition and purpose

Why is gender analysis important?

How does gender analysis work?

1. Collecting available data.

2. Identifying gender differences and the underlying causes of gender inequalities.

3. Informing policies, programmes and projects.

Gender analysis frameworks

When to carry out gender analysis

Key questions

Further information

Gender Analysis

WHAT IS A GENDER ANALYSIS

Is a Gender Analysis Required for All Projects?

Why Should We Do a Gender Analysis?

Gender analysis: USAID Working Definition

HOW DO WE DO A GENDER ANALYSIS?

WHEN DO WE DO A GENDER ANALYSIS?

WHO SHOULD DO A GENDER ANALYSIS?

HOW TO CONDUCT A GENDER ANALYSIS?

Gender analysis: Part One

Gender analysis: Part Two

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Gender Analysis

What do we mean by gender?

What do we mean by gender analysis?

Table 1: Gender as a process vs. gender as a category in a road-building intervention

How to do a gender analysis

Discussion Papers

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'Gender Analysis' is referenced in:

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