Session 8:

February 17, 2020

Gender Mainstreaming in Development

Prof. Ila Patel

Session Overview
 Change in Thinking: From WID to GAD
 Understanding Gender Mainstreaming
 What is Gender Mainstreaming?
 Why Gender Mainstreaming
 Gender Mainstreaming in Organizations

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Change in Thinking: From WID to GAD
Women in Development Gender and Development
Focus On women On gender relations
Problem Exclusion of women Unequal power relations – hinders 
equitable development and women’s 
participation
Goal More efficient and effective  Inclusive and sustainable 
development development
Solution Integrate women into  Empowerment of the disadvantaged 
existing development  women and transform unequal 
programs gender relations
Strategies Women’s projects Improve conditions of men and 
Women’s components women but also transform gender 
Improve women’s  relations
productivity, conditions

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Change in Thinking….
 Evolving Policy Approaches
 Welfare
 Efficiency
 Equity
 1970s: Focus on poverty, work and basic needs
 1980s: Recognition of women’s contribution to economy
 1990s: Development with Human Face

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What is Gender Mainstreaming?
The process of assessing the implications for women and
men of any planned action, including legislation,
policies or programs, in any area and at all levels. It is a
strategy for making women's as well as men's concerns
and experiences an integral dimension of the design,
implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies
and programs in all political, economic, and societal
spheres so that women and men benefit equally and
inequality is not perpetuated.

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Gender Mainstreaming …
 A gender perspective
 A process
 A comprehensive approach, 
encompassing development and 
human rights
 Not end in itself but a means to achieve 
gender equality
 Involves process of change
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Gender Mainstreaming ….
 Roles of men and women are interdependent and 
complimentary
 Gender issues are not confined to one sector but must 
be addressed as part of an integrated approach
 Gender issues are not confined to program 
‘beneficiaries’ but must also addressed at macro 
(policy), and meso (institutional/delivery systems) 
levels
 Gender issues must be addressed at every stage in the 
program cycle.

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Mainstreaming Gender in Organizations
 Gender mainstreaming at multiple levels:
 National Context
 Development Interventions
 Organizations
 Gender manifest in different domains of 
organizations:
 Political Domain
 Technical Domain
 Cultural
Power relations are woven into each domain and are 
manifested in different ways

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