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Gender Analysis

The what, why and when of gender analysis

What is gender analysis and what does it tell us?

Gender analysis refers to the variety of approaches, and methods used to assess and understand the differences in the lives of women and men, girls and boys and the relationships between and amongst them including: their access to resources and opportunities, their activities, and the constraints they face relative to each other. It is a process that identifies the varied and different roles and responsibilities that women, men, girls and boys have in the family, the community, and in economic, legal, political, and social structures.

Gender analysis makes visible:

• the different needs, priorities, capacities, experiences, interests, and views of women, men, girls and boys;
• who has access to and/or control of resources, opportunities and power;
• who does what, why, and when;
• who is likely to benefit and/or lose from new initiatives;
• gender differences in social relations;
• the different patterns and levels of involvement that women, men, girls and boys have in economic, political, social, and legal structures;
• women’s and men’s lives are not all the same and often vary depending on factors other than their sex, such as age, ethnicity, race and economic status; and
• assumptions based on our own realities, sex, and gender roles.

Why use gender analysis?

Understanding the socio economic situation and with it, gender issues and challenges in our partner countries is integral to sound policy analysis, and is essential for effective development. Well targeted programmes and Activities that meet the needs of partners and take into account the reality of gender roles and relations have a higher likelihood of sustainability and effective poverty reduction impacts.

Gender analysis can be used at various levels to inform different kinds of interlinked processes regarding the differential impacts on women and men, girls and boys.

• National - National policy frameworks of partner countries, including national development strategies and/or poverty reduction strategies, macro policies, public expenditure programmes/budgets, legislation, regulations and procedures.
• Sector - Sector policies, strategies and implementation plans and operational guidelines.
• Sub-national - Provincial or district development plans, policies, strategies, budgets, legislation, regulations and procedures.
• Development programmes¹ - Community development plans, programmes and projects and activities and donor development programme and project identification, design and assessment

When do you use gender analysis?

Gender analysis is best applied at the earliest possible stage of a programme or Activity to inform and shape the identification, design and planning of the most appropriate intervention. Gender analysis provides information and data on the differential impact of a specific programme or Activity on females and males and on gender relations. Thus gender analysis is vital throughout the entire development process. The analytical findings and recommendations should be integrated at each stage of programme and Activity planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

Examining the assumptions underpinning programmes and Activities and the interrelationship between social and economic factors can ensure that neither women nor men are disadvantaged. Gender analysis also can increase the likelihood that both women’s and men’s needs are addressed and that priority action areas for promoting equality between women and men are identified. Gender analysis enhances both the sustainability and effectiveness of development programmes and activities and can enable Agency-wide reporting on the achievement of gender equality outcomes.

NZAID Programme Strategies

It is critical that NZAID Country Programme Strategy development is underpinned by recent gender and/or other socio - economic analyses in the country and an understanding of how government policy and programmes affect women and men, girls and boys. If gender analyses and/or sex disaggregated data are limited, incomplete, or simply non-existent, NZAID may want to consider supporting some gender analysis or data collection as part of the Country Programme Strategy development process.

Likewise, NZAID Regional/Thematic/Other Programme Strategy development should be underpinned by gender analyses - at the regional level if it exists and/or through the collation and synthesis of country-level gender analyses.

NZAID Activities

NZAID requires some preliminary analysis of mainstreamed and other cross cutting issues including poverty elimination, human rights, gender equality, environment, conflict prevention/peace building and HIV/AIDS for all Activities², we are considering supporting. All NZAID supported Activities whether directly or indirectly addressing gender equality, should consider the relevance of the four gender equality related questions in the NZAID Screening Guide for Mainstreamed and Other Cross-Cutting Issues:

• Have the different needs, priorities, interests, roles, and responsibilities of women, men, girls & boys been identified & addressed?
• What capabilities, resources, opportunities, power do women, men, girls & boys have?
• Were women, men, girls & boys consulted and involved in the design of the Activity?
• Is info/data broken down by sex?

If one or more of these questions are relevant to the particular Activity and they are not adequately addressed by existing sources of information or analyses, a gender analysis should be considered. The depth of analysis appropriate will be determined by the size, scope, modality, timeframe and nature of the defined outcomes of the proposed Activity. Gender analysis is best applied at the Activity identification and design phases of the Activity cycle, and thereafter built into ongoing monitoring and evaluation.