How to do a Rapid Gender

Analysis - COVID-19
7 May 2020

As in all crises, the COVID-19 outbreak is likely to affect men, women, boys, girls and people with disabilities
differently, while other confounding factors, such as socio-economic status, will also play a role in the impact it
has. Marginalised groups such as women, elderly, adolescents, youth, children, persons with disabilities,
refugees, migrants and minorities become even more vulnerable during emergencies and sexual and gender-
based violence (GBV) and violence against women and children is likely to increase. The difference in how the
crisis affects these groups affects how we should be adapting our programming.
At a minimum gender, age and disability sensitive programming must be integrated throughout every sector
response, however we recommend that country programmes undertake a rapid gender analysis to ensure that
they understand these differences and to inform the priorities of the preparedness and response plans. This
document provides guidance on how to do this for COVID-19.1

What is a Rapid Gender Analysis?

The Rapid Gender Analysis collects primary and secondary information to understand gender roles and relations
and how these may change during a crisis.

Why do we need to do this?

The findings will assist in providing practical programming recommendations to meet the different needs of
women, men, boys and girls, and to ensure that we ‘do no harm’.

How do we do it?
1. Use secondary data to compile existing data

Compile and analyse existing secondary gender information and present this information in a brief document (2
pages maximum). Include sex and age disaggregated statistics and a gender analysis from before COVID-19.
Refer to existing data that you already have within your country programme, such as Gender Role Attitude
scores or other data from gender indicators and existing formative research for programmes from the last few
years. Then look for contextual analyses, reports or data at national or district level, and enquire at cluster level
or with other NGOs who focus on gender or disability.

This section of your rapid gender analysis should provide accessible and practical gender information to non-
gender specialists. Focus on concrete gender issues like gender roles, participation, access, decision-making,
intra-household dynamics, community leadership, sex and age disaggregated data across different sectors
and/or issues. It should also provide succinct information regarding the protection issues facing men, women,
boys and girls that will affect humanitarian programming and operations. See Annex 1 as a guide on what to
include.

2. Collect a small amount of primary data within national COVID-19 restrictions and
guidelines

Identify what you want to find out that will be most relevant to your programmes. Use or adapt selected tools to
collect information within national COVID-19 restrictions. During COVID-19 we would recommend conducting
only the following:

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More details on the approaches suggested here can be found in CARE’s guidelines and tools
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  Key Informant Interviews that can be conducted with community leaders and service providers (i.e.
doctors, teachers, village chief, camp leader, women’s committee leader, etc). These focus on
understanding the most significant changes to gender relations, community services and accessibility of
those services. See the template in Annex 2 and adapt as necessary.
 Additional Sector Specific Questions can be added to KIIs as appropriate. See the questions in Annex 3
and adapt as necessary.
 If carrying out a needs assessment using Concern’s standard tool, note the questions within this
assessment that can be disaggregated by sex or that highlight differences between men, women, boys
and girls and include this information in your gender analysis.

Where possible, gather information from women, men, boys and girls and people with disabilities about the
impact of COVID-19.

As per Concern M&E guidelines, the collection of in person data is discouraged at this time so use phone or email
wherever possible, e.g. when interviewing community leaders (male, female or youth), local organisations
(including women’s organisations), service providers or community members/volunteers. Consider whether it is
more appropriate for females to interview females and be aware that women may not be able to talk to you by
phone in a confidential space. In this case, do not put women at risk by asking sensitive questions.

3. Analyse your data

Compile your data into one document comparing pre and post COVID-19 data as well as qualitative and
quantitative findings. Analysis is critical as it should provide an understanding of changes to gender relations and
how they affect programming. It will allow teams to identify gaps in programming and to use the information
generated from the data collection process to form recommendations and design/adapt programmes
accordingly.

4. Make recommendations to existing or new programmes

Use your findings to formulate recommendations that are SMART and presented in order of priority. These
should address some of the problems or gaps identified in the analysis of the different needs, capacities and
contributions of women, men, boys and girls. Remember that the purpose of collecting this information is to
improve your response effort (and potentially those of your partners as well). Communicate these logically to
programme teams.

5. Design or adapt your programme using your findings

Agree on how recommendations can be adopted throughout your programme design and plan or organise the
necessary resources (staff, budget, materials, training, partners) to implement these.

References
CARE Rapid Gender Analysis Guidelines including full range of tools and guidance notes for each step:
https://insights.careinternational.org.uk/in-practice/rapid-gender-analysis

For more information contact:

Adèle Fox Bernadette Crawford
Equality Adviser Equality Adviser
adele.fox@concern.net bernadette.crawford@concern.net

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Annex
1. Gender Brief

Instructions
1. Imagine giving a gender briefing to someone coming to work in this country for the first time. This Gender in
Brief should provide them with the key information they need to know about gender to work and programme
effectively in this context.

2. Please amend or complete the statistics below, ensuring that you have referenced this information.
References should be included throughout the text as endnotes; remember to always reference statistics.

3. Complete the information below using the headings and guiding questions to form paragraphs. You do not
have to answer all of the provided questions only those relevant to understanding the context.

4. Additional gender information can be included, especially if it is relevant to understanding the context.
However, remember this document should not exceed two pages.

5. The intended audience is non-gender specialists who may have limited knowledge of gender equality or
gender relations within the country context; try to keep it simple and succinct.

Suggested template
(Include data source for each)

 Population Sex Disaggregation: X% male to X% female

 Population Age Disaggregation: <5yrs X%; 5-18yrs X%; 19-64yrs X%; >65yrs X%
 Average household size: X
 Female headed households: X%
 Literacy Rates 15-24 yrs: male X%; female X%
 Infant Mortality rates: X per 1000 live births
 Maternal Mortality rate: X per 1000 live births
 Rate of Domestic Violence: X% (physical violence against women > 15 years)
 Proportion of the population with a disability:

Paragraph 1. Introduction:
 Include a general introduction of the population, demographics and diversity within the context of the
country.
 Provide a general comment on gender equality, gender relations, and the major challenges that undermine
gender equality in the context of the country.
 This is a good place to include surprising and important information that newcomers should to be aware of.

Paragraph 2. Gender Roles and Responsibilities:

 What are the traditional and current roles, responsibilities and practices that women, men, girls and boys
are supposed to adhere to, particularly in the household?
 Are there issues of access and mobility that need to be taken into account especially for women, girls and
vulnerable people?
 Are there notable differences between urban and rural areas that need to be considered?
 How does age affect gender roles and responsibilities?
 What do we know about decision-making and the control of assets and resources at a household level?
Include statistics on this if available for the Demographic and Health Survey.

Paragraph 3. Education and Economic Empowerment:

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  What do we know about women, men, girls and boys literacy rates and access to primary, secondary and
tertiary education and are there any major differences between genders, for example, are there high
illiteracy rates for older women, older men, younger women and younger men?
 How do women and men earn income generally?
 What are the key issues on division of labour, for example, what types of work do women, men, boys and
girls undertake and how does this affect them differently?
 Are there urban and rural differences?

Paragraph 4. Participation and Policy:

 Summarise any legislation and government policies that are important to understanding gender equality?
Please include those that relate to gender-based violence and protection issues.
 How are gender equality laws implemented, or not implemented in practice?
 How do women and men participate in national, local and community level decision-making?
 Can women participate equally in local and community level decision-making? Please explain in what context
this takes place, the roles they tend to play and the challenges they often face.
 What is the role of women’s groups and organisations in this context?

Paragraph 5. Gender Based Violence and Protection:

 Provide a statement on the major gender-based violence and protection concerns facing women, men, girls
and boys, particular the risks facing women and girls. For example, is female genital mutilation/ cutting,
trafficking, forced prostitution, illegal marriage and child marriage, or HIV a major concern within this
context?
 What is the nature, prevalence and impact of violence against women? Are there any demographic or
regional differences?
 What are the gender-based violence and protection concerns that disproportionately affect marginalised
groups, including but not limited to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual people, people with a disability, sex-
workers, migrants?
Note: please include risks facing men and boys too.

Paragraph 6. Gender in Emergencies:

This short section summarises how previous emergencies impacted women, men, boys and girls differently.
For example, what demographic changes relating to women, men, girls and boys have been found in previous
emergencies?
 During previous emergencies, were there trends about who stayed and who left the area to seek work or
assistance elsewhere? If migration occurred, where did they go and for how long?
 What were the main lessons learned about delivering a gender sensitive response? I.e. how to collect sex
and age disaggregated data, ensuring women’s participation, strong accountability systems that monitor of
protection risks

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 2. Key Informant Interview Guide
Purpose: To discover information about people's opinions, beliefs and practices relating to COVID-19. It allows you to collect
information about changes within the community as a result of COVID-19, available services, and present protection concerns. It
can be used with both community members and community leaders/service providers and can be done remotely if necessary.
Tool Notes: This tool uses the format of semi-structured interviews. It has two sections: Part 1 is designed to understand the most
significant changes to gender relations that are identified for the individual (if appropriate) or for the community; Part 2 is designed
for community leaders or service providers (i.e., doctor, teachers, village chief, camp leader, women’s committee leader, etc.).
Some of these questions are culturally sensitive; you should review ethical considerations prior to the interview. Fill out the relevant
sections in regards to your key informant.
Supplemental questions can be found in the Sector Specific document (Annex 3).

Geographic Location: Name (optional):

Interview date: Place of interview:
Translation necessary for the interview:

Introduction
1. Thank the participant(s) for the interview
2. Explain the objectives and expectations of the interview
3. Outline the amount of time interview will take
4. Obtain the informant’s consent to record the interview and/or take pictures

Sex of key informant: Male Female Age of key informant:

Key informant’s role in the community:

Part 1: Overview of Most Significant Changes

 What changes have you or the community experienced since COVID-19?
o Probe: what changes have you experienced as a woman/man/boy/girl

 Of those changes, which is the most significant and why?

o Probe: how were things before COVID-19? How are things now? Why does it matter?

 What are the main needs of women and girls, and of men and boys?

Part 2: Community Leader/Service Provider Interview

Community Changes
1. Is the concerned population displaced as a result of COVID-19? Yes No

2. If yes, what kind of community does the concerned population live in since COVID-19? Please specify from the list below.
Organized camp
In a host community
Unorganized settlement
Public building (school, abandoned building, etc.)
Returnees living in village/home of origin

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 Returnees in a secondary displacement

3. If yes, who manages the community?

Government _________________________
Armed forces _________________________
UN agency _________________________
NGO _________________________
Private individual/organization _________________________
Other – If “other,” please specify:

4. For all respondents: What are some of the major problems that the community is facing?

5. Are there any specific groups in the community that experience particular problems? Yes No
Specify the groups and problems they experience:

6. Are there reports of unaccompanied children in this community?2 Yes No

7. Who does what work in the family? For example: household chores, care-giving, farming, or earning cash income.

8. Who controls family resources and assets?

9. What new coping mechanisms are individuals within families having to use in order to fulfil their roles and responsibilities?

10. What social/cultural structures does the community use to make decisions? How do women and men participate in these?

11. Are these structures different from the structures that were in the community before COVID-19? If yes, then how so?

Access to Basic Services

12. What services are safely available to men, women, boys and girls in this community?
Men: ________________________________________________________________________________________
Women: ______________________________________________________________________________________
Boys: _________________________________________________________________________________________
Girls: _________________________________________________________________________________________

13. If relevant, please note the organization offering these services.

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Care International, ‘Key Informant Interview Format Nepal.’
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 Food aid / food distributions: ___________________________
Shelter: ___________________________
Non-food items (specify which NFIs): ___________________________
Health care (including reproductive health): ___________________________
Hygiene/dignity kits: ___________________________
Education: ___________________________
Women-friendly spaces: ___________________________
Clean water: ___________________________
Latrines: ___________________________
Other: ___________________________

14. If any of the above services are not available in the community, ask the informant to specify (if possible) where the community
goes to access some of the above services. Specify the service and organization providing the service:

15. Is everyone in the community able to access the above services? If not, why?
Priority is given to men
No female staff providing services
Lack of sufficient medicines at health facilities
Girls/women not permitted to access their services by their families
Not safe for girls/women to travel to the service sites
Fear/concerns due to COVID-19
Locations of services are not convenient for girls/women
Hours are not convenient for girls/women
Other:

16. Do girls and women go outside the community to earn income to meet basic needs? Yes No
If yes, then where?

17. What are women, girls, boys and men doing to generate income to meet basic needs? (Select all that apply)
Begging
Collecting firewood
Collecting straw
Sex in exchange for money
Domestic work
Other:

Protection Concerns
18. Has there been an increase in security concerns since COVID-19? Yes No

19. What are the most significant safety and security concerns in this community? (Select all that apply)
No safe place in the community
Sexual violence/abuse
Violence in the home
Risk of attack when traveling outside the community
Risk of attack when going to latrines, local markets, etc. Please specify: ___________________________
Being asked to marry by their families
Trafficking
Unable to access services and resources
Don’t Know
Other:
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20. Are their specific protection needs of women, men, boys, and girls in this community? What are the risks for each group?
What is the location of the risk?

21. Do women and girls usually travel outside the community in groups or alone?
Alone/individually
In groups

22. Are there any coping mechanism adopted by men, women, girls and boys in this community to address different protection
threats or COVID restrictions or minimize their protection problems?

23. When community members have been victims of some form of violence, to whom do they most often go to for help?
Family member
Community leader
Police
NGO working with women
Any female aid worker
UN Agency
Friend
Don’t Know
Other:

24. Do any of the following groups have access to the camp or community settlement?
Military
Informal militia groups
Police
Peacekeepers
None of the above

25. Has there been a noticeable increase in rape/sexual violence being reported since COVID-19 occurred?
Yes No

26. Are there reports of sexual abuse or exploitation? Yes No

If yes, by whom?
Government _________________________
Military _________________________
Police _________________________
Peacekeepers _________________________
UN agency _________________________
NGOs _________________________
Other: _________________________

27. What safety measures have been put in place by police and/or peacekeeping forces to minimize the risk of gender based
violence?
Increase in number of police
Increase in number of female police officers
Police/peacekeeping patrols around the community
Increase in number of female police officers
Increase in number of female peacekeepers
Community safety groups

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 Firewood collection patrols
Educating girls/women on how to report incidents
Don’t know
Other:

28. Are there safe shelters or places that community members can to go to if they feel unsafe? Yes No
If so, where?

3. Sector Specific Questions

These questions are not required but are suggestions that will allow you to gather additional information that may be
useful for your Rapid Gender Analysis. Adapt questions/sections that are relevant to your specific context, interviewee
and situation.

Shelter and WASH Non-food items

 What are the different Non-Food Item (NFI) needs of women and men, by age and ethnic background? (Compare
to what they had before COVID-19)
 How did destitute women, households headed by women, and other vulnerable groups get NFIs before COVID-
19?
 Do men have cash for NFIs? Do women have cash for NFIs?

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

 What are the community’s water, sanitation and hygiene practices? How do they vary for women, men, boys
and girls?
 What uses of water are women, men, girls and boys responsible for (e.g. collection, cooking, sanitation, gardens,
livestock)?
 How do family members share water with each other (quantity and quality)?
 Who has access to and control of water and sanitation resources? Who is responsible for water-use decisions
and management?
 What cultural practices affect women’s hygiene and sanitary needs, especially during menstruation? (e.g.
Considerations around belief of impurity implies that access to certain spaces is limited/restricted.)
 Are water points, handwashing and sanitation facilities safe for everyone to use (especially women, children and
other vulnerable groups like older people and persons with disability)?
 Are water points, toilets, handwashing and bathing facilities located and designed for privacy and security? Are
water points handwashing and sanitation facilities easily accessible and secure for vulnerable groups who have
mobility problems as well as communication problems?

Health/SRHR
 How has the health, including sexual and reproductive health, of the population changed since COVID-19? Are
women and men affected differently by diseases or other health problems? How does this differ by sex and age?
(probe for: clean and safe delivery, treatment for complications in pregnancy including but not limited to unsafe
abortion, family planning, sexually transmitted infections including HIV, specific disease outbreaks due to COVID-
19)
 What is the perceived change in mortality rates of the affected population? Is there a disproportionate number
of deaths among specific groups of women, men, girls or boys? If so, why?
 What are the unique health/SRHR needs for the vulnerable/sub-groups (pregnant and lactating women,
adolescent girls, adapt to context: specific indigenous community, documentation/legal/refugee status, sexual
orientation or gender identity, etc)?
 Are the healthcare service points accessible for everyone especially women, adolescent girls, children and other
vulnerable groups like those who are usually housebound, older people and persons with disability? (Consider
unique barriers faced by each vulnerable sub-group in accessing SRHR)
 Who provides health care to whom? (For example, what types of health cadre provide services? do local beliefs
and practices let male health workers care for women? Is the language of the service provider the same as the
language of the client? Are midwives allowed to provide services such as long-acting reversible contraceptives?)

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 What are the local beliefs and practices on marriage, family planning, pregnancy and birth, disposal of dead
bodies, washing, water use, cooking and animal care? Are any of these harmful for women, men, girls or boys?
 Do women and men talk about and/or get information about health differently? How about adolescent boys and
girls? What cultural and religious practices affect health care?

Food Security:
 Can all members of the community/household get and prepare food? Does food insecurity differ by age and
gender?
 Who gets food aid on behalf of the household? Who decides how to use it? (How is food shared within
households? Who eats first?)
 Are single-headed, child-headed and vulnerable group-headed households getting enough food? Do they require
special assistance for receiving food?
 Are there any food taboos or restrictions for women, men, children under five or pregnant and breastfeeding
women?
 What are the eating habits of the population as a whole? Do food needs differ by age and gender?
 What are the cultural or religious food preferences of women and men in the community?

Livelihoods:
 What main livelihood assets (land, seed, livestock, equipment, access to markets) does the community need?
How has COVID-19 affected these?
 What livelihood assets do women and men control? Has COVID-19 affected who controls what?
 What types of agriculture, farming, fishing, trade and food supply existed before COVID-19? What role did
women and men play in these sectors? What about disabled women and men?
 What local practices affect ownership and distribution of agricultural land? What are women’s property and
inheritance rights?
 What skills do women have? What skills do men have? What training needs are there for each group?
 Do local customs forbid women or men from doing any tasks?
 How much time do women, men, girls and boys spend on unpaid work (fetching water, cooking, collecting
firewood, caring for children, washing clothes, etc.)?

Nutrition
 How does nutritional status (z-score weight-for-height and MUAC3 score) break down by sex and age? Are any
groups (girls or boys, older men or women) disproportionately affected, and if so, for what reason?
 What is the nutritional status of women of childbearing age? What are the levels of anemia?
 How are gender and social position connected to malnutrition?
 What are the special nutritional needs of pregnant and breastfeeding women, people with HIV/AIDS and other
vulnerable groups?
 Are there any beliefs or practices that may affect the nutritional status of women, men, girls and boys
differently?
 Are a lot of women having trouble breastfeeding? Are female and male babies breastfed differently?
 How are children fed when they are at school? It is possible children with disabilities are not in school, if so, what
is their nutritional status?

Education
 How has COVID-19 affected girls’ and boys’ access to education?
 How many adolescent girls and boys are out of school?
 What safety and access problems do schools have?
 Do girls and boys have equal access to school locations? Do they have equal access to all levels of schooling? Do
girls and boys with disabilities access mainstream or special schools?
 Are any girls and boys stigmatised by their war experiences (e.g. being raped or a child soldier)? Does this stop
them going to school?

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Mid-Upper-Arm-Circumference.
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 What are the direct and indirect costs for girls and boys to attend school?
 Do parents think the school is close enough for girls to get to? For boys? Is the way safe for girls and boys?
 Are the school’s toilets accessible and safe? Are there enough? Do girls and boys have separate toilets? Is water
available?
 Does the school have male and female teachers? At all grade levels? What are their qualifications and
experience?
 Do school staff know how to report and follow up harassment and Sexual Gender Based Violence (SGBV)? Do
they have suitable materials and services to help boys and girls recover from SGBV?

Protection:
 What are the specific protection needs of women, men, boys, and girls and individuals with disabilities? What is
the breakdown by age and sex? What are the continued risks for each group?
 What factors increase tensions, and how do they affect women, men, boys and girls? How does the spread of
weapons affect women, men, boys and girls?
 How do human rights and humanitarian law violations affect women, men, boys, and girls differently?
 Can people safely report and seek redress for violations of humanitarian law? (This includes Sexual Exploitation
and Abuse)
 What are the community’s laws and customs on abductions, trafficking of humans, sex work, slave-like practices,
SGBV, early/forced marriages, elder abuse and property rights? How do these affect women, men, boys and girls
and individuals with disabilities?

Assistance Modalities:
 Who can access markets —physical access for basic goods and services, and others such as labour? How has that
changed since COVID-19? Can people of all genders, backgrounds, ethnicities and religions safely access
markets? Can all people safely travel to markets?
 What are the risks (GBV related and otherwise) that may be associated with the different assistance modalities
(Cash, vouchers, in-kind, service delivery)? (Refer to the CVA and GBV Compendium for detailed GBV risk
mitigation guidance in cash and voucher assistance.)
 What is the crisis affected population’s access to financial service providers (e.g. mobile phones and mobile
money providers, banks or remittance companies)? Are there differences between genders and their sub
groups? Has this changed since COVID-19? Are there any barriers for certain populations?
 What are the preferences on types of assistance modalities (e.g. cash transfers, vouchers, in-kind and service
delivery)? Are there differences among genders and their sub-groups?
 What do men, boys, women and girls identify as the risks connected to different assistance modalities (e.g. cash
transfers, vouchers, in-kind and service delivery)?
 What do men, boys, women and girls identify as the opportunities connected to different assistance modalities
(e.g. cash transfers, vouchers, in-kind and service delivery)?

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