Useful resources, but there are many many more:
AWID, everything
JASS Feminist Movement Builder’s Dictionary
http://www.justassociates.org/sites/justassociates.org/files/feminist-movement-buildersdictionary-jass.pdf
Gender Mainstreaming in Development Programming
http://www.unwomen.org/~/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/library/publications/20
14/gendermainstreaming-issuesbrief-en%20pdf.pdf
SIDA Gender Tool Box
http://www.sida.se/English/partners/resources-for-all-partners/methodologicalmaterials/gender-tool-box/
CARE Gender Training Materials
http://www.care.org/our-work/womens-empowerment/cares-gender-training-expertise-best-best
Gender
• Roles, behaviors, activities, and attributes that society considers appropriate for
women/men/girls/boys
• Socially constructed and learned through socialisation processes
• Determines what is expected, allowed and valued for women/men/girls/boys in a given
context, e.g. access to and control over resources, and decision-making.
• Context/ time-specific and changeable
• Part of the broader socio-cultural context, as are other important criteria such as socioeconomic position, race, religion, ethnic group, sexual orientation, age, etc.
Sex
• Physiological, anatomical, chromosonal, hormonal differences, usually male or female,
sometimes intersex
Gender equality
• Equal enjoyment by women/men/girls/boys of rights, opportunities, resources and rewards
• Political, economic and social equality for women/men/girls/boys
• Implies that the interests, needs and priorities of women/men/girls/boys are taken into
consideration, recognising the diversity of different groups.
Gender equity
• In some contexts, defined as the process of being fair to women and men. Equity leads to
equality. E.g. “Strategies and measures to compensate for women’s historical and social
disadvantages that prevent women and men from otherwise operating on a level playing
field”
• But the term has also been promoted to justify discriminatory measures. Ideas about what is
fair are subjective. In the UN/global context, equality is the preferred term.
Intersectionality
• An analytical tool for recognising that multiple aspects of a person’s social identity and status
intersect to create unique experiences of oppression and privilege
Corrective to overly simplified conceptions of identity – such as “working class” or
“indigenous” – examines complexities of multiple sources of privilege and subordination
• A response to a critiques that “women” as a political category over-generalised women’s
experiences (privileging some and making invisible others, e.g. race, class, colonialism impact
on oppression)
Women’s empowerment
• Feminist version: “Individual self-assertion to collective mobilisation and resistance aimed at
upending systemic forces and power dynamics that work to marginalise women and other
disadvantaged groups. Empowerment begins when individuals recognise the systemic forces
of inequality that influence their lives and consciously act with others to change existing
power relationships.”
• Sometimes used in a problematic way, change the women, rather than the structure.
Gender Analysis
• Critical examination of how differences in gender roles, activities, needs, opportunities and
rights/entitlements affect women, girls, men and boys in certain situation or contexts
• Considers differences in terms of distribution of resources, opportunities, constraints and
power
• Gathers input from women, girls, men and boys
• Considers other social variables such as ethnicity, culture, age, social class, sexual orientation
• Uses both quantitative and qualitative data (analytical and relative)
• Will processes/responses/interventions succeed? Do they avoid exacerbation of gender
inequality or injustice? Do they actively promote gender equality?
Gender/sexual division of labour
• The way each society divides work (and considers “work”) among men and women, boys
and girls, according to socially-established gender roles or what is considered suitable and
valuable for each sex.
• Examples:
• To produce goods and services to meet the subsistence needs of the family
• To clean, cook, bear, rear or care for family members
• To ensure the provision and maintenance of resources such as water, health care and
education in a community
• To participate in political decision-making
Gender mainstreaming
• The (re)organisation, improvement, development and evaluation of policy processes, so that a
gender equality perspective is incorporated in any planned action, legislation, policies or
programmes, at all levels and at all stages, by the actors normally involved in policy-making
• Problem of theory vs. practice: Targeted programme interventions AND/OR incorporating
gender perspectives across different sector policies and programmes
• Elements: understanding of context, consultation processes, gender sensitive-programming
and language, sex disaggregated data, gender analysis, budgets, indicators of change etc.
• Role of partners in gender mainstreaming?
Dual approach to gender equality/twin track strategy
• Complementarity between gender mainstreaming and specific gender equality policy and
measures, including positive measures.
• Also referred to as the “twin track strategy”
• Gender equality and women’s empowerment as a targeted priority AND
• Gender equality integrated more effectively in all work
Gender outcome continuum
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Gender blind vs. gender aware: Be blind to vs. aware of roles, rights, entitlements
responsibilities, etc. ascribed to or imposed upon women/girls/men/boys in specific social,
cultural, economic and political contexts; and to gendered power dynamics.
Exploitative/negative: Project uses gender norms, roles and stereotypes that reinforce gender
inequalities.
Neutral: Gender not considered relevant, no negative impact.
Sensitive/accommodating: Project addresses gender norms, roles and access to resources in so
far as needed to reach project goal.
Positive: Changing gender norms, roles and access to resources is a key component of project
goal.
Transformative (positive): Project seeks to transform gender relations to promote equality.