8. SGWI Gender and Inclusion Analysis Guidance.docx

SAMPLE Gender and Inclusion Analysis Questions

I. What is a Gender and Inclusion Analysis?

A gender and inclusion analysis is a tool for comprehensively exploring the gaps in power, resources, and opportunities among women, men, girls, boys, and individuals of other gender identities in a given context, and how this interacts with proposed work. Gender and inclusion analyses are most effective when used in the early stages of program/activity conception to inform design, and they should be reviewed consistently throughout the implementation of the proposed intervention. This simple process can be conducted by anyone to ensure activities reach all members of a community equitably. Applicants for Department of State funding can integrate a gender and inclusion analysis into their proposals by taking the below steps.

S/GWI recommends using the gender and inclusion analysis framework to develop questions tailored to the context and the project goal and objectives and help identify different ways in which individuals who experience multiple, intersecting forms of discrimination and oppression might be impacted by your work. Once you analyze challenges, gaps, and opportunities related to gender and inclusion, this information should be used to strengthen your program design.

II. Context and Background

A gender and inclusion analysis helps consider the different ways in which the work might impact and be impacted by the community/country/region it is operating in and the ways in which different aspects of power and identity are experienced throughout an ecosystem, including by individuals and within families, communities, institutions, and nations. Section IV provides an illustrative list of questions to help complete a gender and inclusion analysis; however, S/GWI expects questions to be adapted further according to the context and project. The questions are grouped by domains to assist in organizing the analysis, but answers may overlap.

III. Inclusion Guidance

S/GWI is committed to supporting equitable approaches that advance gender equality and respect for human rights around the world. S/GWI programs are expected to foster and/or address:

· Inclusive Environments, which means programs that foster involvement, respect, and connection in which the richness of diverse ideas, backgrounds, and perspectives are valued for all individuals.

· Social Inclusion, which means improving how individuals and groups take part in society – enhancing the ability, opportunity, and dignity of those disadvantaged on the basis of their identity.

· Intersectional nature of power and identity, which means how intersecting aspects of identity (sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, sex characteristics, class, religion, race, ethnicity, age, disability, nationality, etc.) interact with overlapping systems of discrimination and the need to address the impact these have on systemic access.

In the context of conducting a gender and inclusion analysis, using an intersectional approach aims to be aware of the ecosystem of power and identity that varies for people by location and in relation to the specific topic of a project. This includes the aspects of identity and power that intersect not only for individuals but also within families, communities, institutions, nations, and regions. A gender and inclusion analysis considers how various aspects of a person’s chosen and assigned identities overlap to compound one’s experience of privilege or oppression and affect their relative power, access, choice, and experience of dignity.

IV. How-To Complete a Gender and Inclusion Analysis: Illustrative Questions and Actions

a. Domains of Analysis

· Laws, Policies, Regulations, and Institutional Practices Are men and women treated equally in legislation, and by official policies and institutions in the country? Are there any laws or policies that address inequality or discrimination, current or past? How could treatment under the law, and by official policies and institutions in the country, impact the work?

· Cultural Norms and Beliefs What is expected of men and women here? Do stereotypes help or hurt their engagement in the work? How will the work impact community members in different ways as a result?

· Gender Roles, Responsibilities and Time Use (including paid and unpaid work- like care for family members). Who does what? How do gender roles and responsibilities, inside and outside the home, impact equitable participation in the work? How will participation impact success?

· Access to and Control over Assets and Resources (including income, employment, and land) Do men and women have equal control over and the capacity to use resources—assets, income, education, social benefits, services, technology—and information necessary to be an active and productive participant in society? If not, how might the work need to adjust to close these gaps?

· Patterns of Power and Decision-making (including structural barriers, leadership norms, and entry points). Who decides, influences, and exercises control over material, human, intellectual, and financial resources in the family, community, and country? Why? Will women have control over and benefit from assets they may result from participating in the work? Are there any risks associated with disrupting these patterns, even if it is what beneficiaries want?

b. Cross-Cutting Questions

· Have you consulted the people with whom you want to work? What do local women’s groups and gender equality practitioners think about the work? Have they flagged potential concerns or unintended consequences (for example: increased income increasing a risk of robbery)?

· How could gender-based violence impact the work? How can gender based violence impact participation in, or accessing benefits from, the work? Could anything inadvertently exacerbate gender-based violence? This can include examining rates of domestic violence, sexual violence, early and forced marriage, violence against women online or in politics, etc.

· Intersectionality. Identity and power, autonomy, and access intersect in different ways to produce empowerment or disempowerment. How do attributes, in addition to gender, determine someone’s safety and access to opportunity? Does anything we are doing risk negatively exacerbating this? Examples include age, religion, race, ethnicity, tribe, wealth, education, marital status, care of children or elderly, class, sexual orientation, gender identity, geographic location, rural/urban residence, disability status, and nationality.

V. Proposal Design and Implementation

This section is designed to help you think about how and where to integrate findings from your gender and inclusion analysis into your proposal design and project implementation.

· Staffing

· How will you deal with gender norms, discrimination, and vulnerability in this work?

· Will you train staff to help them be sensitive to different local, national, or regional gender norms, and how to interact with those norms?

· If staff or partners are discriminating against others or being discriminated against, do you have a policy and practices in place to address these issues?

· Will the team include someone trained in privacy and referrals in cases of GBV?

· Will you have someone on staff who understands how to reach women and men for different activities (i.e., voter registration)?

· Will staff be trained on how to assess and bridge gender gaps?

· Will staff be a part of, and able to communicate with, the people you need to reach?

· Stakeholder Participation

· How will you consult with local women and women’s groups to ensure that women are active participation in the work?

· How will you make sure you can reach everyone relevant to the success of the work?

· Which local organizations can help make sure you are able to appropriately engage all members of a community?

· Logic Framework/Work Plan

· How will gender equality be included in your strategic framework and how you implement that strategy?

· Risk Assessment/Challenges

· Is the work likely to exacerbate existing tensions or conflicts within the home, between participants or beneficiaries, within or between communities, or otherwise?

· What gendered issues, including the safety, movement, and access of participants and staff, may arise and how will you mitigate and respond to those risks?

· What are your safeguarding practices and policy to prevent sexual exploitation and abuse of participants by staff and implementing partners?

· MEL (Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning)

· How will you monitor, analyze, evaluate, and continuously learn about gender norms, challenges, and opportunities as you implement this work?

· Is reducing gender inequalities a primary goal or objective of your work?

· Are you sex disaggregating proposed indicators that count people (M/F/X)?

· Have you included gender-specific indicators (USG GNDR standard foreign assistance indicators may help)?

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