Gender-sensitive Monitoring and Evaluation

What needs to be achieved?

 Ensure that performance monitoring and evaluation activities capture the distinct impacts of
programmes on girls, boys, women and men
Performance monitoring and programme evaluation efforts should capture the distinct impact of
programmes on girls, boys, women and men of all ages. This can help provide humanitarian actors with
critical information they need to address any barriers to access, inequalities or gaps, and to ensure that
all population groups benefit from the response, including the most vulnerable.

Key Actions
Design humanitarian performance monitoring systems in a way that tracks distinctions between
results for girls, boys, women and men. This entails looking at different approaches for monitoring
systems at different levels, cluster/sector, programme, project and cross-sectoral.
Ensure that monitoring indicators for high-frequency partner reporting are sex-disaggregated
wherever possible. This high-frequency monitoring against 2-3 indicators per sector through partner
reporting is a key element of UNICEF’s Humanitarian Performance Monitoring approach to allow rough
coverage estimates on key result areas. This is equally relevant for UNICEF programmes and as a support
to cluster performance monitoring. Given the constraints of high-frequency data collection in
humanitarian contexts, many of these indicators will be based on extrapolations where sex-
disaggregation is not possible; for example, population with access to safe water will be calculated in
part using agreed standards on amount of water per person and data on water treatment materials
distributed. However, wherever data is collected through records or counts of individual people, sex-
disaggregation is possible and critical. The UNICEF Humanitarian Performance Monitoring Toolkit:
Indicator Guide provides specific detail on recommended indicators. These indicators will be identified
ideally at the time of preparing the humanitarian Appeal documents which is important in getting
agreement with key partners. For UNICEF NGO partners, the reporting against priority indicators can be
reinforced in Programme Cooperation Agreements. As a situation stabilizes, and with a shift towards
lower frequency monitoring, it will be possible to change reporting to allow sex-disaggregation on more
indicators.
Ensure that the above coverage data is complemented by systematic field monitoring to get feedback
on quality of programming on the ground and give voice to affected populations. This is a second key
element of UNICEF Humanitarian Performance Monitoring approach. Field monitoring must be
designed following standard guidance on gender-sensitive data collection and analysis to providean
examination of gender differences and the underlying causes of these (see Steps 2 and 3 above). Field
monitoring makes it possible to systematically probe gender differences in:
• participation by girls, boys, women and men;
• access to services, resources and activities;
• progress in addressing priority humanitarian needs; and
• the positive and/or negative impacts and benefits of an intervention on girls, boys, women and
men.
Advocate that partners adopt gender-sensitive data collection in their own performance monitoring
systems at project level and services (e.g. primary health care centres, feeding programmes, child
friendly spaces). This should include:
 collecting sex- and age- disaggregated data on beneficiaries of services;
 and tracking some key process indicators that contribute to gender-sensitive results; for
example, levels of participation by girls, boys, women and men as project or activity
coordinators, facilitators, trainers or trainees, and members of community-level committees,
etc.).
Ensure that any larger outcome level surveys are designed according to standard guidance on gender-
sensitive data collection and analysis (see Steps 2 and 3 above). Given the high cost and cross-sector
relevance of these types of surveys, they are usually undertaken at Inter-Agency level using approaches
such as adapted MICS or follow-up needs assessments surveys. These are critical opportunities to get
more solid statistical data on gender differences in programme results.
Undertake periodic focused gender analyses in order to interpret data from various monitoring systems,
and use results to inform sector/programme/project-level revision (See Step 3 on Gender Analysis)
Ensure that monitoring systems align with gender-sensitive programme standards and benchmarks, as
found in SPHERE and INEE.

Design evaluations in a way that assess distinctions between results for girls, boys, women and men.
Ensure that evaluation efforts are gender-sensitive, consultative and participatory.
Involve girls, boys, women and men of all ages in the provision
See UNICEF’s How to design
of information, as applicable, to a program or project. Also
and manage Equity-focused
consider involving representatives of community-based
evaluations, for more guidance in
organizations involved in gender issues to participate in in- conducting evaluations that are
country reference groups. sensitive to gender, as well as other
sources of inequity.
Routinely ask different groups to identify their distinct needs
and priorities and the extent to which a project or programme is
meeting them.
In projects involving gender-sensitive topics or lines of questioning (e.g., GBV, family planning), take
appropriate measures to ensure that women and girls feel at ease to share their views freely and
openly.
Encourage the participation of girls, boys, women and men in evaluations as individuals or in groups
including as: implementing partner representatives; project or activity coordinators; facilitators and
animators; trainers or trainees; program or project committees, and; beneficiaries.
Include women and men on evaluation teams.

Use results to inform ongoing and future programmes

Ensure that gender gaps or inequalities identified through performance monitoring and evaluations are
shared with programmers and that measures are taken to address gaps in ongoing and future
programmes.
Ensure programme reporting captures gender dimensions of response

Ensure that gender analysis and sex-disaggregated data are a routine part of reporting mechanisms.
Ensure that progress reports, final reports and programme evaluations include information on the
following:
• presentation of sex- and age-disaggregated data and results of gender analysis
• description of results including the impact of the programme on girls, boys, women and men, noting
similarities and differences
• changes in access, or gender equality gaps
• information as to progress towards and/or achievement of gender equality objectives and outcomes.
 

Remember the basics on Gender Sensitive Data Collection

Collect sex- and age- disaggregated data
Ensure that the data collected is disaggregated by sex and age to help indicate where there are
differences between girls, boys, women and men in terms of the impact of the crisis, their access to
essential and life-saving services, and their vulnerabilities, capacities, priorities and needs.

Collect both quantitative and qualitative information

Collect both quantitative and qualitative information about different population groups through a
variety of methods including focus group discussions, interviews, direct observation, and community
consultations, among others. Such data can reveal gender-based distinctions, for example, in access to
services or of protection needs among different population groups and provide insight into what is
driving those differences.

Ensure data collection tools are gender-sensitive

Ensure assessment, performance monitoring and evaluation tools reflect gender considerations
including by prompting the gathering of sex- and age-disaggregated data and gender-sensitive
qualitative information.

Include both women and men on data collection teams.

Ensure that the composition of data collection teams (including translators) accords with (i) the nature
of the program or project, (ii) socio-cultural factors, and (iii) what is most comfortable for
respondents. In some cases, it may be necessary for there to be both female and male evaluators
working together, while in other circumstances, it may be
Example: Experience shows that crisis-
critical that female evaluators collect data among women
affected women and girls may not feel
and girls, and male evaluators among men and boys. comfortable speaking to males about certain
topics (i.e. reproductive health) or in certain
Beginning with the recruitment process, build a data circumstances. In some cases cultural factors
collection team whose members are gender-aware, may restrict women and girls from speaking
meaning that they are capable of perceiving the influences to men who are not from their immediate
family. Ensuring females are on assessment
and manifestations of gender roles in a crisis-affected teams can help overcome these barriers.
population, and that they are capable of gathering gender-
specific information.
Consult directly with different population groups
Carry out consultations with girls, boys, women and men, separately and together, in sex- and age-
separated groups.

Ask questions that help determine any
distinct risks, needs and priorities of
different population groups, and identify
any gender-based discrimination or key
barriers to access.
Be prepared to ask different questions
in different ways to different population
groups, taking into consideration age,
gender and social norms, as well as
cultural context in order to gain desired
insight.
Be aware of power relations and ensure
to get a diversity of viewpoints, moving
beyond community leaders to gather information directly from community representatives, including of
disadvantaged groups.
Example: In Pakistan, IDP camps shelters were constructed in
the absence of community consultations. UNICEF protection
officers visiting the camps noted that women and girls were
nowhere to be seen. Upon further investigation, they discovered
that the IDPs were from Purdah communities, where women and
girls faced restrictions on contact with men outside their
immediate family. As a result, women and girls were confined to
tents and were not accessing any services.
In response, UNICEF consulted with male and female
community members (separately and together) in order to come
up with a way to address the cultural restrictions on mobility
faced by women and girls. They agreed to construct female-only
spaces where women and girls could walk around freely and
access basic services.

Factor in the time, day and location of meetings when scheduling consultations with communities to
ensure that different population groups can participate.

Ensure that all processes of consultation with affected populations are designed and carried out safely
and according to ethical standards.