Publications

Box 1: Key gender questions for the Initial Social Assessment (ISA)

• Who are the target beneficiaries?

  • Disaggregate the beneficiaries according to gender.
  • Talk to women as well as men.

• Are women visible in the sector?

  • Determine the gender division of labor in general.
  • Are women’s needs in the sector the same as those of men?
  • Identify if possible, the main sources of income for women and men.

• How might the project affect women? Is the project likely to have same positive and negative effects on women and men?

• Can a gender-inclusive design be drawn up for the project, and could it effectively and equitably target women?

• Identify, if possible, legal, cultural, or religious constraints on women’s potential participation in the project.

• Does the executing/implementing agency have the capacity to deliver benefits to or involve women?

• Will the project preparatory technical assistance (PPTA) fact finding and PPTA study require the services of a consultant with specialized gender and development expertise to assist in developing a gender-inclusive design?

Box 2 Key gender issues for the Social Assessment (SA)

• Identify and describe the target population. Dis-aggregate demographic data by gender and class. Consider how women and men differ in their roles and their economic, educational, and health status.
• Collect information on the gender division of labor. How are the production, household, and social responsibilities shared—who does what, where, when, and for how long?
• Examine the differences between subpopulations. Point out differences in the roles, status, and well-being of women and men in these groups.
• Assess the target population’s needs and demands in relation to the project. Consider whether women and men have different priorities and how these differences might affect the proposed project.
• Assess absorptive capacity. Consider how women and men will participate in the project—their motivation, knowledge, skills, and organizational resources—and how the project will fit into their culture and society.
• Assess resource access and control. Will project activities adversely affect women’s access to and control of resources? For example, will they lead to loss of land or forest use or to reduced access to markets?
• Assess institutional capacity. Does the executing agency (EA) have the capacity to deliver services to women? Does the EA have female staff and female extension workers?
• Identify institutions. Consider which government and nongovernment agencies and organizations with a focus on women or an interest in gender and development might contribute to the project.

Box 3 Key gender considerations in project design

Participatory approach: Consult and involve women and men equitably in project planning, design, and implementation.

Gender analysis

• Have both men’s and women’s needs in the project sector been defined?
• Have cultural, social, religious, and other constraints on women’s potential participation been identified?
• Have strategies been formulated to address the constraints?
• Have local women’s organizations been consulted?
• Will women directly benefit from all project components?

Project design

• Apply the information and analysis from the social and gender analysis to all phases of the project cycle.
• Does the project design include components, strategies, design features, or targets to promote and facilitate women’s active involvement in the project?
• Is there a budgetary allocation for these design features, strategies, and mechanisms?
• Consider setting aside a separate budget for facilitating the participation of women.
• Are the strategies and targets for women’s participation included in the logical framework of the project?
• Consider using gender expertise during project implementation.