What is the definition of Gender Analysis?

 examines the differences in women's and men's lives, including those which lead
to social and economic inequity for women, and applies this understanding to
policy development and service delivery
 is concerned with the underlying causes of these inequities
 aims to achieve positive change for women

The term 'gender' refers to the social construction of female and male identity. It can be
defined as 'more than biological differences between men and women. It includes the
ways in which those differences, whether real or perceived, have been valued, used
and relied upon to classify women and men and to assign roles and expectations to
them. The significance of this is that the lives and experiences of women and men,
including their experience of the legal system, occur within complex sets of differing
social and cultural expectations'.

Gender analysis recognises that:

 women's and men's lives and therefore experiences, needs, issues and priorities
are different
 women's lives are not all the same; the interests that women have in common
may be determined as much by their social position or their ethnic identity as by
the fact they are women
 women's life experiences, needs, issues and priorities are different for different
ethnic groups
 the life experiences, needs, issues, and priorities vary for different groups of
women (dependent on age, ethnicity, disability, income levels, employment
status, marital status, sexual orientation and whether they have dependants)
 different strategies may be necessary to achieve equitable outcomes for women
and men and different groups of women

Gender analysis aims to achieve equity, rather than equality.

Gender equality is based on the premise that women and men should be treated in
the same way. This fails to recognise that equal treatment will not produce equitable
results, because women and men have different life experiences.

Gender equity takes into consideration the differences in women's and men's lives and
recognises that different approaches may be needed to produce outcomes that are
equitable.

Gender analysis provides a basis for robust analysis of the differences between
women's and men's lives, and this removes the possibility of analysis being based on
incorrect assumptions and stereotypes.

The definition of Gender Analysis can be described in the following many ways.
Gender analysis
 is a type of socio-economic analysis that uncovers how gender relations affect a
development problem. The aim may just be to show that gender relations will probably
affect the solution, or to show how they will affect the solution and what could be done.
Gender analysis frameworks provide a step-by-step methodology for conducting gender
analysis.

What Is Gender Analysis?

"In order to understand what gender analysis is, we first have to understand what gender
is. Gender refers to the socially and culturally constructed roles, privileges and relations of
women, men, girls and boys. In many cases, what is said to be women's or men's work (what is
meant by the 'social division of labour') - for example, cooking at home in the case of women, or
'bread-winning' in the case of men - is not necessarily determined by biological factors.

"In some cases, what is said to be women's or men's work is based on false perceptions and
cultural stereotyping. For example, men are said to be breadwinners, but in a subsistence
economy such as that of Uganda, women farmers in the rural areas are, in fact, the breadwinners.

"On the other hand, people's stereotypes may over time become reality. For example, if a
manager believes that women are not as good as men, he will then promote - and so encourage -
men to be high achievers. Women will have low motivation if their hard work is not translated
into concrete rewards like promotion. Over time, their low achievement might be translated into
incompetence.

"In many cases, the way gender roles and privileges are culturally constructed and allocated - for
example, the notion that in households the man is the head - creates structures in which gender
relations are relations of inequality, in which men are dominant and women are subordinate. This
gives rise to gender issues.

"Unless one understands gender as it is socially and culturally constructed, one is not able to
address different gender-related issues and needs in social and economic development.

"Gender analysis is a method of identifying, analysing and understanding:

 different activities of women, men, boys and girls (gender roles);
 relations between men and women (gender relations);
 patterns of women's and men's access to and control of resources.

"It is an important planning tool because it provides information on the 'gender map' and makes
it possible to plan. It gives information on:
 who performs what activities and at what levels - household, community or national;

 who owns what resources;

 who uses what resources;

 who has ultimate control of the resources, at the different levels;

 which major environmental factors (culture, religion, politics, etc.) have critical influence, and
may be responsible for maintaining the system of gender differentiation and inequity.

"It is the identification of these which makes it possible for policy and project planners to
identify the different (or even common) needs of men and women.

"Gender analysis makes it possible to generate data that is disaggregated by gender. It

encourages gender sensitivity and distinctions in terminology. (In Volume One of the Republic
of Uganda Government Standing Orders, for instance, a civil servant is referred to as she' or 'he'.
It is a recognition of the fact that the civil service employs both women and men.)

"Gender analysis promotes an understanding of gender relations, as a basis for identifying

whether it is necessary to include explicit strategies to involve women. Whether these strategies
should be addressing women's practical or strategic needs is based on the gender information
obtained in a gender analysis of the social group.

"Gender disaggregated data can, of course, be used as a benchmark in monitoring and evaluation.

"Gender analysis can be conducted at project level, and at macro level. It is very commonly
conducted at the sectoral level. It can be used, for example, to analyse the gender-related health
needs of a specified location - or gender-related agricultural needs. It is part of social/economic
analysis. As a method for collecting and analysing data, it enhances the understanding of social
issues and the relations of production. This understanding of who actually does what, who owns
and controls what, is important in economic policy formulation and development programme
design - especially in relation to poverty reduction programmes. Gender analysis is also used to
identify gender specific activities and needs. It makes it possible to identify who is most
advantaged or disadvantages - and in what way they are advantaged or disadvantaged.

"It has often been said that those working in the gender and development field usually end up
working on women's issues. This is because, when a gender analysis has been carried out, the
results usually show that women are more disadvantaged than men.

"Gender analysis has gained importance among development workers, especially in poverty
reduction programmes and projects, for several reasons:
 It clarifies and builds on what is already known. For example, it is known that in most cultures
there is a social division of labour. Gender analysis clarifies the gender dimensions of this
division of labour.

 It provides concrete data for project analysis and design by identifying specific areas of need
for different categories of people.

 It highlights the different roles women and men play, and the social economic positions they
hold. Taking account of unequal gender relations enhances accuracy in planning for specific
target groups."
"Improving the gender responsiveness of adjustment is a means to improve adjustment itself.
Policies that do not take explicit account of the differentiation of economic agents by gender are
likely to worsen the situation of both women and men, and therefore contribute to greater
economic inefficiency and inequity, as well as to diminished economic performance. This is
contrary to the purpose of adjustment to improve the efficiency, flexibility and dynamism of the
economy."

The Importance of Gender Analysis

As Dr Tadria points out, knowledge of the situation is a vital factor in policy formulation and
programme planning. Interventions can only be relevant and effective if they address the real
development problems of people living in a locality - and if they produce the outcomes that those
people need and want.

This demands a close understanding of the target population: who they are, what they do, what
problems they are experiencing, what aspirations they hold, what resources they have at their
disposal, and what capacities they can draw on.

A real understanding of gender differences and issues is crucial for good development planning
and implementation. To collect and interpret information on gender matters calls for specific
analytical skills.

Carrying out a gender analysis, especially outlining the different gender roles is quite easy.
Identifying what gender issues are implied in the roles and relations of the role players is more
difficult.

Gender role stereotyping, especially when based on a conceptualisation of gender divisions of

labour and gender relations, can distort information and deter gender-responsive planning and
programme design.

When carried out properly, a gender analysis should provide us with specific data on the
situation and position of women and men, as well as their relations - which can then be used to
plan resource mobilisation, allocation and utilisation.

The data generated by groups should provide answers to the following questions:
 Do men and women play gender-specific roles?

 Do they have different needs as regards resources, services, or space?

 What different constraints do they face?

 Who dominates which sector; what resources are needed or available in this sector; what is the
role of the sector in social and economic development?

 Does the analysis show a distinction between practical needs and strategic needs?
Just as men and women have different development needs, so the impact of development
programmes can be different for them.

The problems inherent in defining women's labour and capacities - particularly the inclination to
exclude household work from the development equation - are discussed in detail by C. Mark
Blackden and Elizabeth Morris-Hughes in their 1993 analysis, Paradigm Postponed: Gender
and Economic Adjustment in Sub-Saharan Africa, which provides a useful guide to women's
vital role in the economics of development.

Understanding cultural and biological gender differences enhances our understanding of how
men and women make choices in economic and social production. It also enhances our
understanding of the more personal realities of how men and women relate.

However, since gender roles and relations are culturally defined, they also change according to
time, place and context. This change can be facilitated through gender-responsive planning - that
is, planning and programming that address gender differences, especially those based on gender
inequity and inequality.

In an organization, Gender Analysis is important because it determines Policy frameworks,

budget preparations, competences among the different genders, programming and project design.
It is also a prerequisite to cultural and human resource balances as well as a mechanism for
allocating responsibilities within the organization.  Gender analysis is applied throughout project
design i.e. during baseline research, problem definition, planning, implementation, monitoring
and evaluation.

During the training, it was pointed out that having projects exclusively designed for women does
not bring work towards gender equality or equity. Gender Analysis is not about women and
women's participation is not equal to gender.

A women-only programme is gender blind if it keeps women in traditional areas and does not
offer scope for change towards gender equality. In fact, women specific programmes may create
gender problems where they are none. They may make women as ‘beneficiaries’ worse off
where men feel excluded and viewing all projects as going to women.

When Carrying out a Gender Analysis there is need to consider the following:

 Culture - pattern and norms of what women and men, girls and boys do and experience in
relation to the issues being examined and addressed.

 Why there are disparities and whether they are a matter for concern, and how they are
and might be addressed.

 Who benefits directly from the programme?

 Who may be concerned or affected by the programme activities, directly or indirectly?

  Who may participate in and contribute to the programme?

 Who may be involved in decision-making in the programme?

 Who may find it difficult to participate/ make decisions in the programme?

 Not all women and not all men are the same.

While preparing a Gender Analysis in a programme, there are steps to follow

 Clearly request gender disaggregated information (qualitative and quantitative) in the

programme

 Ensure the participation of different groups of women and men in the consultation
according to age, income, different household structures etc., as relevant)

 Talk to women and men separately, as well as together

 Include women and men in the research team so as to facilitate access to both women and
men in the groups targeted in the analysis;

The training also focused on reporting beyond gender distribution and providing more detailed
information regarding the ways in which access to resources such as inheritance, land, income,
and political influence by women is comparable to that of men as well as mechanisms through
which any existing inequality is maintained and preserved. It also brought out the need to report
on ways in which men’s and women’s activities are separate, cooperative, or conflicting towards
the available opportunities in society at large.

Conclusion:-

In many developing societies, although not in all, women have traditionally been disadvantaged
compared to men. Until recently, studies of these societies for the purpose of planning
development covered women narrowly in terms of population, health and family planning.
Relatively little was known about other concerns such as domestic violence or involvement in
economic activities. Gender analysis provides more information, bringing benefits to women and
to society as a whole. The Women in Development (WID) approach emerged in the 1970s,
calling for treatment of "women's issues" in development projects. Later, the Gender and
Development (GAD) approach proposed more emphasis on gender relations rather than seeing
women's issues in isolation. An example of the effect of skipping gender analysis is provided by
a project that introduced handcarts to a village for use in collecting firewood. It was thought that
the men would use the carts to collect the wood, freeing up the women for other activities. In
fact, the men collected the wood for sale, keeping the money. As they depleted supplies near the
village, the women had to travel further to collect wood.

Gender analysis has commonly been used as a tool for development and emergency relief
projects. The socially constructed roles of men and women must be understood in project or
program design, as must roles related to class, caste, ethnicity and age. The techniques are also
important in understanding management of natural resources. Gender analysis is relevant to
education, although the frameworks used for development projects must be adapted to meet the
needs of educational projects.

Source:- Ministry of Women’s Affairs, New Zealand