Professor Oyedunni Arulogun

What is Gender Mainstreaming?

Why do we need Gender Main-

streaming?

Objectives of Gender Mainstreaming?

How to do Gender Mainstreaming?

 What is Gender Mainstreaming?

• Is a strategy for achieving gender equality

• Strategy to end gender blindness in develop-

ment

• Ensures women & men, girls & boys have

equal access to & control over resources, op-
portunities & benefits at all levels.
• Looking at all programmes/actions through a
“gender lens”
• - ie considering the differential impact of our
actions, systems, processes on men and
women (boys/girls).
• Taking a gender perspective on everything
from employment law to budgeting processes
to infrastructure design.
 What is gender mainstreaming???

Mainstreaming a gender perspective is a strategy for

making the concerns and experiences of women as
well as of men an integral part of the design, imple-
mentation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and
programmes in all political, economic and societal
spheres, so that women and men benefit equally, and
inequality is not perpetuated. The ultimate goal of
mainstreaming is to achieve gender equality
July 1997, the United Nations Economic and Social
Council (ECOSOC)
 What is Gender Mainstreaming?

Gender mainstreaming is a strategy developing policies,

legislation, programs, project, society and community’s
development plans from gender der equality perspec-
tive in order benefit both women and men.
 Gender Mainstreaming
• Another well known definition of Gender Main-
streaming comes from the Council of Europe (1998):

“Gender mainstreaming is the (re)organisation, im-

provement, development and evaluation of policy
processes, so that a gender equality perspective is in-
corporated in all policies, at all levels and at all
stages, by the actors normally involved in policymak-
ing.”

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 Transformation by Mainstreaming

• Mainstreaming is not about adding a "woman's component" or even a

"gender equality component" into an existing activity. It goes beyond in-
creasing women's participation; it means bringing the experience, knowl-
edge, and interests of women and men to bear on the development
agenda.

• It may entail identifying the need for changes in that agenda. It may re-
quire changes in goals, strategies, and actions so that both women and
men can influence, participate in, and benefit from development pro-
cesses.

• The goal of mainstreaming gender equality is thus the transformation of

unequal social and institutional structures into equal and just structures
for both men and women

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 Why do we need Gender Mainstreaming?
Gender differenti-
ated division of Gender In-
labour equity

Society and fam-

Gender differentiated
ily’s gender dif -
needs, interests, etc.
ferentiated ex-
pectations and
 Basic Principles of Mainstreaming

• Responsibility for implementing the mainstreaming strategy is system-

wide, and rests at the highest levels within agencies, according to Carolyn
Hannan, Director of the UN Division for the Advancement of Women.

• Other principles include:

- Adequate accountability mechanisms for monitoring
progress need to be established.

- The initial identification of issues and problems across all area (s) of activ-
ity should be such that gender differences and disparities can be diag-
nosed.

- Assumptions that issues or problems are neutral from a gender-equality

perspective should never be made.

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 Three level of Gender Mainstreaming

- At legislation, policies, strategies level

- At organization, department level
- At household, family level

Law of Gender Equity

Gender equity is achieved when women and men have
equal roles and positions, are provided equal conditions,
opportunities in developing their abilities for the devel-
opment of community, family, and equally benefit from
development’s achievement
 Steps in Gender Mainstreaming
• The steps to gender mainstreaming in a pro-
gramme/sector:
– Familiarize yourself with the key gender tools
– Through analysis of data and information on a
particular area/sectors, identify the emerging
gender issues to be addressed
– Engage with the national partner, advocate as
necessary to identify the causes of the gender is-
sue at stake
– Work with the sector to identify the actions to ad-
dress the issues, develop a costed action plan and
set a monitoring framework

– Reflect the issues into the programme/project of

your agency and link up as necessary with other
agencies for a holistic approach to the gender is-
sue
GENDER MAINSTREAMING IN PRO-
JECT CYCLE
 To achieve its objectives regarding gender…

● there is a strategy for mainstreaming gender;

● staff have an awareness of gender sensitive issues;
● the project incorporates methods which will facilitate the
participation of both men and women;
● the monitoring and evaluation system incorporates gender
disaggregated data and provides gender impact indicators;
● adequate human and financial resources are available.
 What to expect in a successful gender
mainstreaming project

- Equal participation by men and women in the decision-making

processes for setting priorities and allocating resources
- Equal access to and control over society’s opportunities,
resources and development outcomes by women and men
- Equal recognition and status for men and women
- Women and men enjoy equal human rights
- Equal improvements in and standards of quality of life for
women and men
 Crucial elements of a successful gender
mainstreaming project
● strengthening of gender aspects both conceptually and
operationally in all project components
● the need to define strategies for operationalizing gender
issues;
● the need to define participatory strategies, practical tools and
viable action plans for incorporating gender aspects in project
components and subcomponents;
● the need to develop and adjust training programmes in
gender at project coordination unit, beneficiary and
intermediary levels the need to identify gender sensitive
indicators for project monitoring and evaluation;
● the need for projects to offer more profitable productive
activities for both men and women
 Basic Principles of Gender Mainstreaming (1) 
• Adequate accountability mechanisms for monitoring progress
need to be established. 

• The initial identification of issues and problems across all area(s)

of activity should be such that gender differences and disparities
can be diagnosed. 

• Assumptions that issues or problems are neutral from a gender-

equality perspective should never be made. 

• Gender analysis should always be carried out. 

 Basic Principles of Gender Mainstreaming (2)
• Clear political will and allocation of adequate resources for
mainstreaming, including additional financial and human re-
sources if necessary, are important for translation of the concept
into practice. 

• Gender mainstreaming requires that efforts be made to

broaden women's equitable participation at all levels of decision-
making. 

• Mainstreaming does not replace the need for targeted, women-

specific policies and programmes, and positive legislation; nor
does it do away with the need for gender units or focal points
• So, Gender Mainstreaming is …

– NOT a goal,
– BUT the strategy to achieve equality between
women and men.

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 Learning Objectives
 After this session you should be able
to:
 recognise the importance of gender
analysis for project planning,
implementation and evaluation
 use tools for gender analysis as part of
development interventions

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 Gender Analysis
• Is the systematic effort to research, document
and understand the roles of women and men
within a given context, and how a particular
activity, decision or plan will specifically affect
women or men.

• G/A makes visible the advantages and disad-

vantages experienced by men or women, in
relation to an issue
• Provides the basis for taking steps to address
disadvantages, and for devising remedial/ pre-
ventive interventions.

• G/A allows for more just and equal represen-

tation of all men and women in shaping hu-
man society.
 What is Gender Analysis
Gender analysis is a tool
to better understand
the different social,
economic, cultural
and political realities
of women and men, girls and boys.

At its core is understanding culture (underlying values, norms and be-

liefs), expressed in the construction of gender identities and in-
equalities. (Word Fish)

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 Goals of Gender Analysis
• Better understand our community
(women, men, girls and boys)

• Get better results from development

programs

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 What Gender Analysis Will Provide?
 Analysis of the Division of Labour and Access and Control of Resources

 Understanding of gender relations and their Implications for development pol-

icy and implementation

 Specific gender disaggregated statistics

 A Review of Women’s Priorities, Women’s Practical Needs and Strategic Inter-

est and ways to address them

 A Review of Social, Economic, Political Power Dynamics

Absence of GA propose high risk of program failure, less success or reinforce

inequity

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 Some examples
• A gender analysis of health program will inform you how inequalities
disadvantage women’s health, the constraints women face, ways to
overcome constraints.

• A gender analysis of women worker’s situations, their needs, work

places, wages, market trends will provide practical information to
advocate for all (women and men) worker’s rights

• A gender analysis of product supply chain will tell you women’s in-
volvement at different stages in the supply chain so to increase their
visibility and gain economic benefits

• A gender analysis of water project will inform you where women col-
lect water, what should be done to increase women’s access to safe
water
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Gender Analysis = Identification of
Sexual Division of Labour
Activity Profile of Males and Females, Young and Old, Poor and Rich
Patterns of access to
and control over resources

Analysis of Resulting Gender biases (patterns of discrimination)

Gender gaps Gender issues

Analysis of Constraints and Opportunities

Leading to Gender-Responsive Planning Strategies to overcome

constraints and utilise opportunities
Gender analysis takes account of
 Imbalance in the sexual division of labor (e.g., multiple roles
leading to multiple burden)

 Diversity of household structures and infra-household rela-

tionships (e.g., single-parent household)

 Gender-based differentials in access to and control over

benefits and resources
Concepts
Gender Roles
Tasks and responsibilities assigned to individuals on
account of their sexual identity and cultural defini-
tions of feminine and masculine

 Production – generation of marketable goods and

services
 Reproduction – activities carried out to reproduce
labor and to maintain the household
 Community Management – activities carried out for
the maintenance of community life.
Access
 availability of resources, services, facilities, knowl-
edge skills

Control
 capacity to influence decisions and actions
 Who should do gender analysis
Government
Policy makers
Donors
Program Managers
Development Staff
Field workers, etc.
GA should be participatory involving key stakeholders from the
field where the intervention is to take place
Gender Analysis can be conducted through a variety of Tools
and Frameworks
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 How To Do Gender Analysis
 Collect Relevant Data: Sex–disaggregated information for analysis
(Who does what? Gender roles, responsibilities, priorities of men
and women both within and outside the household? Who has
what? Who controls what?)

 Identify Relevant Gender Issues (women’s and men’s practical

needs and strategic interests)

 Understand the institutional, economic, social, and political con-

texts (What are the differences, constraints, influences, power dy-
namics between women and men?)

 Understand the priorities and needs of both men and women af -

fected by the project (what do they need/want?)

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 GENDER ANALYSIS MATRIX ( GAM )
By : Rani Parker (1993)

• Helps determine the differing impacts of development inter-

AIMS: ventions on women & men.
• Provides a community based technique for identification and
analysis
• Initiates a process of analysis that identifies and challenges
gender roles within the community in a constructive manner.

A tool for gender analysis of development ( program/

WHAT:
project ) at community level.
To determine differing impacts of interventions on women
WHY: & men.

Done by a group within the community; includes women

WHO: & men in equal number
• At the planning stage →determine potential gender effects
WHEN: • At the design stage → gender considerations may change
the design
• During monitoring stage →address broader program im-
pacts
 LEVEL OF ANALYSIS
 Women → All ages In The Community
 Men → All ages In The Community
 Household → All men, women, children residing together
extended, nuclear family.
 Community → Everyone in the project area as a whole.

CATEGORY OF ANALYSIS
 Labor → Changes in task, capacity.
 Time → Changes in the amount of time
( 3 hours, 4 days, etc ).
 Resource → Changes in access to capital (income, land, etc)
Changes in control over resource
 Cultural → Changes in social aspect ( gender roles, status, etc )

PRINCIPLE
 Can be transformative if done by people
 No need for experts except as facilitators
 People are the subject of analysis
 Gender Analysis Frameworks
• Gender roles framework (Harvard)

• Triple roles framework (Carolyn Moser)

• Web of institutionalisation framework (Caren Levy)

• Gender analysis matrix (GAM)

• Equality and empowerment framework (Sara Longwe)

• Capacities and vulnerabilities framework (CVA)

• People oriented planning framework (POP)

• Social relations framework (SRF)

 Tools for Collecting Information on Gender Issues

• Harvard Analytical Framework, Moser framework,

Gender Analysis Matrix etc

• Community level tools on gender relations, socio-

economic structure and resources

• Direct observation

• Discussions with focus groups

• Household surveys
 Community-level PRA Tools

• Data collection tools: community meetings, surveys, repre-

sentative focus groups, informal meetings

• Village Resources Map

• Village Social Map

• Gender Analysis Matrix: impacts

• Target Analysis: who does what?

• Activity Profile to Assess the Workloads of Women in Rela-

tion to Men
 Seasonal Activity Calendar
 Daily routine
 Harvard framework - 1
• Can help planners design efficient
projects
• Improves visibility of women in target
area
Three main tools:
Tool 1: The socio-economic activity
profile –
 who does what, when, where and for how
long?

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55
 Tool 1: Activity profile
Activities Women/Men Time
Productive/Liveli-
hood activities
Agriculture M Seasonal
Income generation
M Seasonal
Employment

Others
M

Reproductive activit-
ies
Water W Everyday – 2 hrs
Fuel
W Everyday – 2 hrs
Food

Childcare
W Everyday – 2 hrs
Health
W Everyday – 4 hrs
Cleaning and repair
W
Market W/M
Other W
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 Harvard framework - 2
Tool 2: The access and control profile –
 who has access to resources (ex. land,
equipment, capital etc.)?
 who has access to benefits (ex. education, health
services, political power etc.)?
 who has control over resources and benefits?

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 Tool 2: Access and control profile
Access Control

Assets, Resources
Land W/M M
Equipment W/M M
Cash M M
Education M M
Training
M M
Other

Benefits
Income M M
Education M M
Health W/M M
Water User Group W M
Political power
M M
Other
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 Tool 3: Influencing factors

3. Identify factors that determine the

gender differences –
Political, economic, cultural etc.
Communtiy norms, social hierachies
Training and education
Attitude of community towards external
development workers
Past and present influences
Opportunities and constraints
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 Gender Analysis Matrix
 The tool 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 is-
sues as well as develop gender analysis capacity from the grassroots level
up.

 All requisite knowledge for gender analysis exists among the people
whose lives are the subject of the analysis

 Gender analysis does not require the technical expertise of those outside
the community being analyzed, except as facilitators

 Gender analysis cannot be transformative unless the analysis is done by

the people being analyzed.

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 CATEGORIES OF ANALYSIS

Unit s of Anal- Unit s of Unit s of Analy- Unit s of Anal-

ysis #1: Analysis #2: sis #3 ysis #4
LABOR TIME

Levels of Analysis/
Stakeholders

Stakeholder #1 :
Men

Stakeholder #2:
Women

Stakeholder #3:
Community

Stakeholder #4

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 Sample Gender Analysis Matrix
Dimensions of Analysis
Livelihood activ- Assets, Capa- Power and De- Needs, Prior- Institutions,
ities, roles, rela- bilities cision-making ities Mechanisms,
tions Governance

WOMEN • What activities • What assets, • What decision • What are • How markets
they do? capabilities, making do men women’s work differ-
• Where? opportunities and women needs and ently for
• When? they have? participate in? priorities women and
• What are dif - • What decision • What are their men?
ferent vulner- making they aspirations for • Do gover-
ability? control? future nance takes
• What are • What con- into account
their different straints they women’s con-
coping mech- face? cerns
anism?

MEN -do- -do- -do- -do- -do-

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Gender Lens
 Gender Lens Tool
After completing this class you will be able to:
– describe the Gender Lens Tool and how to use it
– use the Gender Lens Tool to evaluate any medical
problem from a gender perspective
– explain how gender impacts all areas of health,
health care and medical management

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 Looking Through a Gender Lens
• Like using a pair of glasses to correct our vision, a Gender Lens will help
focus our attention on gender differences and identify aspects of medical
care and disease that require further research. 

• The Gender Lens Tool provides a framework for examining any area of
medicine from a gender perspective.

• The Gender Lens Tool can be used to identify gaps and differences in
health information from a gender perspective. 

• Incidence and prevalence, diagnosis, risk factors, treatment efficacy, and

disease progression are all influenced by gender

• The Gender Lens Tool was developed by Dr. Anna Day at the University of
Toronto and the information contained in the Gender Lens module is
based on her work and used with permission

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• The Gender Lens Tool provides a health based
framework to consider how the following spheres
contribute to an individual’s gender: 
– biology
– social structure 
– education
– economic factors

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 Using the Gender Lens Tool 
STEP 1:
• Start by choosing an area that interests you (eg. ASRH, cervical cancer,
prostrate cancer, infertility, STIs)

STEP 2: ARE THERE GENDER DIFFERENCES IN ....

• You will need to identify whether there are any gender differences in the
condition with respect to the items in the right hand column: incidence/
prevalence, etc.

• Often the data exists but has never been looked at from a gender per-
spective - go ahead and "mine" the data

• In other circumstances, there are no data as to whether gender differ-

ences exist in this areas and you may need to do the research yourself

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STEP 3: WHAT FACTORS MIGHT CONTRIBUTE TO THESE DIFFERENCES?

• Start hypothesizing as to which biological and

gender factors might contribute to the differ-
ences that you have discovered.

• See if there is any information available in the

literature to support your hypotheses. You
may be very surprised about the results, or
that, in fact, there are significant gaps in our
knowledge
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STEP 4: IDENTIFY THE GAPS, ADDRESS THE GAPS

• This is your opportunity to identify the gaps and start to ad-

dressing them. We are all scientists at heart.

• Engage your colleagues, your teachers, your friends. This is

how we acquire new knowledge

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 Questions that will help you do a gender
analysis of your organization

• Identify all the different positions in your organization's organogram.

• Which of these positions do men fill? Which do women fill?

• What is the proportional representation of women in decision-making

• positions?

• What are the rules and systems for decision-making processes? Are these top-down or par-
ticipatory?

• Are there opportunities for non-management staff to take the initiative

and to contribute to key decisions?

• Who has access to the organization's resources: for example, transport?

computers? telephones? contacts with political leaders and key social
figures? contacts with the media?

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• Who makes decisions about which people have access to resources?

• Does the organization have mechanisms to actively encourage women's

participation at all levels?

• Are there strategies to increase women's participation at decision-making

levels?

• Does the organization have mechanisms to build staff capacity across the
organization for women and men to do a gender analysis at the policy,
programme and institutional levels? Is this capacity rewarded formally?

• Does the organization have staff who will be able to design and carry out
programming that supports gender equality?

• Are gender related responsibilities mainstreamed into job descriptions for

all staff? Is the performance evaluation system of staff gender sensitive?

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 Lessons Learnt
Incorporating gender may lead to…
New ways of working, cross-department
New partners and voices considered
Critique of existing programs/practices
Ongoing attention to gender, diversity
Policy/programs/practices better tailored to
vulnerable groups
Better use of resources
Gender and Health: What can we do?
View our work, research, policies
and programs through a gender lens
Remember that every population is
gendered, so gender analysis is es-
sential to reduce health inequities

Consistently attend to the contexts of women’s and men’s

lives – income, ethnicity, age, ability, sexual orientation,
power, responsibilities, etc
Integrate these contexts into our daily work in health