Evaluation

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Special Evaluation Study on Gender and Development
Completed: 2001

With the adoption of a women in development policy as one of the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) five strategic development objectives in 1992, a number of projects were designed to improve the condition of women. In line with this, in 1998, ADB adopted a broader policy on gender and development (GAD), with a view to mainstreaming gender considerations into all ADB's activities, including economic and sector work as well as lending and technical assistance operations.

Cultural and religious barriers are the greatest obstacles to women's participation in projects and to project benefits reaching women. ADB's country strategies and policy dialogue should address such barriers. At the project level, indifference toward gender objectives is the most common obstacle to dealing with gender issues effectively.

The countries selected for the study were Bangladesh, Nepal, and Viet Nam. Three projects were chosen in each of the three countries. Sectors covered include health, rural finance, fisheries, rural infrastructure, irrigation, and water supply and sanitation.

  Summary of Findings

"Software" programs such as group formation and training in skills and social awareness are given a lower priority by executing agencies than "hardware" such as rural roads, irrigation canals, and health centers because software programs do not generate revenues and the executing agencies do not have the capacity to implement them. However, without the awareness and training provided via software programs, the hardware cannot be efficiently used or sustained.

To make projects gender inclusive, their design should be based on strategic and practical gender objectives and requirements identified in feasibility studies at the project preparatory stage. The gender objectives and requirements need to be realistic, taking into account the existing structural barriers. Despite the attempts for gender mainstreaming, project benefits may not accrue to women without specific gender provisions. Mechanisms and procedures should be outlined, and budgets provided, for implementation of such provisions.

  Lessons identified

• ADB's country strategies and policy dialogue should aim at fostering national and sectoral GAD policies and removing structural barriers affecting women.



• Where applicable, ADB operations should include gender analysis, gender planning, and gender-sensitive project preparation, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. ADB should also assist in applied research, and publish research findings in national languages to demonstrate to developing members countries (DMCs) that attention to gender is important for improving project effectiveness.



• Project designs should be based on both strategic and practical gender objectives and requirements derived from feasibility studies. The objectives and requirements should be realistic, and it should not be assumed that benefits will accrue to women without specific gender provisions. Project designs should specify in detail proven mechanisms and simple procedures for implementation of such provisions.



• Successful incorporation of gender considerations in projects necessitates the following steps:
  • initial social assessment,
  • collection and analysis of gender information,
  • adoption of a gender-inclusive design,
  • timely policy dialogue, and
  • monitoring of gender provisions and indicators.


• The existence of cultural and religious barriers calls for special features, strategies, mechanisms, or components to be included in projects to make them truly gender-inclusive.



• Measures needed to increase gender awareness and compliance with the GAD policy include the provision of adequate resources to enhance the capacity of ADB staff to supervise projects, provision of technical assistance programs to assist GAD policy development in DMCs, and training and skill building to operationalize the policy within ADB.