Fetenu Bekele: The Gender Dimension in Development Projeasossrea.net/publications/images/stories/ossrea/dhp-3-part-4.pdf · Fetenu Bekele: The Gender Dimension in Development Projeas

Fetenu Bekele: The Gender Dimension in Development Projeas

factors. Information on these are likely to affect project planning. Women's and men's access to extension services (resources) are likely to reveal impediments and indicate the need for change of approach to reach more w0!llen.

3.3.4 Incentives

The extent of participation in project activities depend on the incentives they proviode to men and/or women. What relationship project objectives and activities have to women's daily life requirements and their interests in their gendered position is what will motivate them to become involved or not. In a participatory needs assessment exercise in a settlement in Ethiopia, where the males as members of a producers' cooperative ranked tractors and 'combiners' as their priority, women's group reported that repair of the grain machine and additional mills as well as water wells would motivate them to support any outside development intervention."

Enhancing their access to water, fuelwood and technologies relating to these are therefore bound °to attract women's interests and participation which differ from what motivate men. It has been found that leadership positions, visibility and power prospects from project involvement, for example in committees, tend to motivate men more than women. Technologies for lessening household burdens are priorities of women rather than men; technology has thus far been grounded on the 'productive' functions/work of men. Therefore, asking questions such as, 'what will interest men and/or women and motivate each to get involved In program activities' are useful guides .

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4. EXPERIENCE OF INCORPORATING WID IN PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS

Experience of adoption and promotion of approaches to incorporate WID in development interventions through programs and projects, their advantages and disadvantages, are discussed below with focus on African countries.

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Fetenu Bekele: The Gender Dimension in Development Projects

4.1 Women - Specific Projects •

A project is women-specific when it seeks to address women's practical needs through provision of basic services such as water, health, training, credit, relief, fuelwood and family planning.30 This approach has the following advantages and disadvantages:

Q Advantages: increased flexibility and responsiveness to women's needs for training and participation; for decision-making opportunities and leadership roles which improve self-esteem and respect for women in the household and community; opportunities to be engaged outside the home and to demonstrate success of initiatives in gaining capability and respect for women's economic contribution; potential for stronger and sustainable women's organizations created through projects may in the long-run be catalysts for support to wqmen's initiatives such as women's caucus_

Disadvantages: Isolation and marginalization from mainstream development and treatment of women as 'consumption items', of maternal and child health services, literacy, training, credit, etc. ; tokenism without strong policy commitment to incorporate general women's concerns in the overall development process: tendency towards welfare rather than sustainability and women's empowerment elements. Dependency on external funding; small­scale, dependency on volunteer or 'cheap' labour, pacifier projects!

4.2 Women's Component in Larger Projects

These are often found in large-scale projects for a community or locality where •

cultural and religious traditions do not allow mixed group participation or where eligibility for 'main' project inputs (e.g. heavy collateral requirements for credit) reduces women's full participation.

Q Advantages of such 'add ons' are: access to project resources, experts and finances for project; equal access with men to real main activities

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Fetenu Bekele: The Gender Dimemio1l in Development Projects

of projects, whether these include training or employment or credit. At the same time, the project design can ensure that special arrangements are made for women who may need separate training, possible visibility or women's component with respect to the project and attention of planners; increased opportunities for phasing some, or all aspects of the women's component into the .general project as appropriate and desired .

Q Disadvantages: poorly designed/managed, kad to marginalizing women's activities from main project especially where the same priority is not given to both; danger of promoting government tokenism and satisfying donor conditionality by incorporating

. WID component. Project staff also ignoring or marginalizing WID component staff by claiming the mere existence of the component as commitment. Misuse of WID component resources/ sharing and male project managers undermining the authority of head of WID.

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4.3 General Projects and Mainstream Programs •

In principle these give equal access to both men and women. The mainstream programs approach have been panicularly appropriate where:

Q a large number of women fit the participation criteria Qevel of education income, physical capability, etc.);

Q precedence for shared panicipation between sexes in the project has already been estaQlished; socio-cultural traditions encourage women and men to work together and the publicity and outreach let people know about the project panicipants.

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A significant and rather wide-spread example of mainstreaming of WID is the establishment of 'national machinery' for 'the integration of women in development and/or advancement of women in development'. In Africa, national, sub·regional and regional structures have been established through the catalytic role of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and its Training and Research Centre for Women (ATRCW) now renamed

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Fetenu Bekele: '!he Gender Dimension in Development Projects

African Centre for Women (ACW). These aim to oversee the mainstreaming of WID through policy support, in some cases, influencing legislative reforms. These national machineries range from Women's Bureaux, Units, Departments to Ministries for Women's Affairs.'l In some countries, mass organizations (national women's associations or unions) have existed as 'political arms' of ruling parties.

Advantages: possibility that women can take full advantage of the resources and high priority that general projects receive; the increased potential access to influence decision making; opportunity for both sexes in a country or community to work with, and share responsibilities in the context of project. This might extend to other divisions of labour and responsibilities at home and in the community.

Q Disadvantages: competition for project resources between men and women. The latter are likely to lose out from lack of experience in negotiation in groups of mixed gender due to low self-esteem and confidence, or lack of an information network i.e. an informal network. If information on women's role (activity and benefit profile) not identified at the design stage, women inadvertently lose out by exclusion due to choice of promotion mechanisms, location, timing of projects etc.; possibility of exclusion from training, especially rraining abroad, if men show interest first, since decisions on timing, type of institutions for male and female trainees, etc. are generally made by gender-biased male managers.

Q As for the effectiveness of the national structures for 'integration' of women in development' in African countries, these have in almost all countries been reduced to lower structures and have suffered from lack of 'government' resources with danger of extinction for lack of external fullding. Although the national machineries have served a purpose and have contributed in some way towards awareness raising, · attracting external funding, etc., they have been criticized for serving the governments and the ruling parties more as channels of government directives, mobilizers of voters and mass support, etc.; that they have contributed to women's

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Fetenu Bekele: tbe Gender Dimension in Development Projects

marginalization rather than 'integration', and that they have set the scene for 'women's mass exploitation' rather than empowerment. These negative experiences have also resulted in apathy towards women's mobilization.

Considerable documentation exists on the appraisal of experience in the area of 'integration of women in development'. The mdst vocal and dominant

critique has come from Third World development researchers and grassroots activists. The potential for women's empowerment through the structures put in place by governments have been instruments of'exploitation' and 'subjugation' with the u.nsuspecting partnership of the vulnerable women themselves. It is maintained that the 'integration of women in development' is a misnomer and that women are already integrated but under unfavourable teuIlS that reinforce their subordination, subjugation and vulnerability .

. :.,. . ... :.,.- ,"-'-' ....... -- -,: - --':~ - :;::~:

-Thest:n.lctt.lrts put in pbce by gollt'ruIDent5 ,forwomc,n's t' npoWCl'hient •

have been instrument! of exploitation md snbjugation with the

unsnspecting partnenhip9f the windle women themselves . . It is. maintained .that the <int<i3ration of WOOlen in development";s a

' m;,nom~r '~d that 'women are already integrated, but under "

unfavourable term, that reiQforce their subordination, subjugation and vulnerability .J' . .

4.4 Gender Mainstreaming Strategy

It is now widely recognized that a great variety of approaches will be needed to ensure that gender concerns are incorporated in projects, programs, national policies and legislation. There is more advocacy for combining WID and GAD for areas that are of special concern to women through additional programs addressing the specific concerns, needs and situations of women. The current

move towards mainstreaming has revealed a situation, in most agencies and programs, where there is a dire need for clarification of what is meant by mainstreaming and how to go about promoting it so that no one sector, segment

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Fetenu Bekele: The Gender Dimension in Development Projects

program or individual has sole responsibility. The aim is to institutionalize gender·sensitive planning, execution, monitoring and reporting by all concerned

with efficiency, equity and sustainability.

Such gender mainstreaming is being increasingly advocated by agencies and governments. For gender mainstreaming by projects, governments and agencies, keeping in mind that gender inequalities are embe9ded in the socio·cultural, political, economic, religious, legal, institutional and procedural aspects of human life, gender mainstreaming will require addressing these inequalities in a systematic way. Some of the key elements to be addressed by agencies and programs seeking to promote gender mainstreaming essentially revolve around gender policy and all that goes with its formulation, implementation and evaluation.

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Social scientists as program planners, coordinators, managers and! or researchers are expected to be in the forefront in optimizing the opportunities in this area. It is important to keep in focus the rationale for seeking to incorporate gender concern in development, namely the differential benefit and impact of national policies on segments of the population and communities as a result of gender inequalities in the division of labour, rights, responsibilities and access to resources, and the impact of these on the development process and its outcome.

Some of the important elements of gender mainstreaming and the key

ingredients of gender poli cy encompass the following:

Awareness of inequalities and differential i~pacts and commitment to •

addressing gender issues in the institution's activities. Awareness is not a sufficient condition in itself for incorporating gender considerations into operational procedures. Organizations making a conscious commitment to address gender issues, are increasing the likelihood that benefits accrue as equally as possible to men and women. Efforts should prove that constraints to women's access to resources and decision making have been resolved or alleviated in their daily business commitment.

Capacity to formulate gender-focused questions: Gender literate or 'gender informed' development efforts illustrated by formulation of the right questions

regarding the gender division of labour, rights, responsibilities and access to resources. Capacity to link gender-infolIIled analytical questions and

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Fetenu Bekele: The Gender Dimension in Development Projects

hypotheses to develop objectives. Such questioning ability allows practitioners to assess the usefulness and applicability of existing quantitative data, qualitative studies, indigenous knowledge and information routinely acquired on the job by field personnel. Capacity to ask the correct gender-infoIlued questions at the onset of activity planning can reduce an organization's need for additional data collection later.

Capacity to carry out gender and social analysis: Sex disaggregated data analyzed and interpreted provides institutions with an informed set of alternatives for program implementation that ensure equitable participation by both sexes. Gender analysis can focus either on the macro or micro level. It can, for example, examine policy issues that affect any development effort such as differential legal status, political representation and power and laws affecting men's and women's access to economic opportunities. Gender analysis can also focus on gender-specific opportunities and constraints within particular sectors such as agriculture, natural resources management and enterprise development. It may be possible to get a picture of the gender gap from existing data (education, health, etc.,) and not spend too much time on gender analysis on the particular sector when time is a constraint. The analysis should be carried out as we go along. Analysis of the underlying reasons for the existing imbalances from the status quo or scenario demonstrating gaps and

• imbalances in some sectors for which data is available;

The use of specialists as project staff or short-term consultants; developing expertise within the organization through recruitment of female experts and continuous training of all agency personnel in gender analysis skills.

Capacity to apply the findings of gender and social analysis to the institution's portfolio. Realistic program design and implementation depends on capacity to apply the major findings from gender analysis. For a development agency to be truly 'gender-informed', it should have this capacity in-house. i.e., it should undertake staff training as well as taking a specialist on board to interpret 'or 'translate' findings from gender analysis into operational terms and see that these are reflected in program plans. Staff training to carry this gender­informed plan through and to monitor is essential. Not only acknowledging the specific gender resource constraints in program plans but also devising

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Fetenu Sekele: The Gender Dimension in Development Projects

specific organizational strategies for coping with these constraints - reducing systemic gender biases by a quota system, gender-specific targets to reduce the gender gap, etc.

Capacity for systematic monitoring and evaluation of gender-specific program impact: Critical questions to ask about the work of an institution or organization are: 'How does it change the lives of the actual or potential participants? To monitor changes, each activity should have some baseline data and a review system that provides periodic updates of progress towards people's well being. The organization ensures a sex-disaggregated information through Monitoring and Evaluation (M & E), for all phases of program documentation. Data showing positive or negative impacts will justify pursuing or changing policy directions. A means by which a specific activity contributes to reduction of gaps and inequalities is an M & E system designed with gender-awareness indicators of development.

Systematic reporting of gender-relevant lessons learned, and subsequent program adaptation: results of interventions must be disaggregated by sex, analyzed, synthesized and reported on for managing the activity, as well as for designing follow-up activities. Report should show differential effect, the lessons learned translated into operational principles for program adaptation, if needed, to allow adjustment of new initiatives to meet the needs of both sexes. This systematic reporting is key to the final step - "the gender institutionalization cycle", which is done at a more informed and realistic level, with broader experience and a systematic gender-sensitive approach.

It should be stressed here that resource allocation should reflect , commitment to gender mainstrearning, and not be a token allocation for WID or GAD component. Nor can it be assumed that gender issues are taken care of by having a woman in the project team. Having female experts among the agency and project team members is only part of the equation. Not all women are aware of gender issues, nor are all committed to gender equity. On the other hand, a gender expert (female or male) in a team does not necessarily guarantee incorporation of gender concerns without inter-disciplinary team commitment and involvement. Marginalization and 'window dressing' are dangers to watch for in this regard.

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Fetenu Bekele: The Gender Dimension in Development Projects

5. CONCLUDING REMARKS

The realization that past conventional development strategies have not only failed to meet expectations but have also negatively affected women in the developing countries, has stepped up the search for appropriate and responsive development interventions. As discussed in the paper, the shifts from the traditional perception of women, the diagnosis of and prescriptions for their needs have deepened our understanding of the factors and trends that influence the direction of development. ,

The reviews of activities initiated and promoted under the rubric of WID since the UN Decade for Women have provided much needed lessons not only into women's practical gender needs and what constitute 'universal' strategic interests but also the importance of addressing both simultaneously. Similarly, it should be acknowledged that research findings and the work of grassroots activists have helped to fill the void that faced agencies and individuals who seek to move beyond gender awareness. Gender analysis framework, gender policy levels and process of empowerment are valuable tools provided by development agencies which could be refined through inter·agency collaboration, through feedback and exchange of experience. Equipped with these tools for gender analysis and incorporation of gender concerns at all cycles of projectl program life, it is possible to avoid repeating past mistakes emanating from gender·blind, isolated and top·down interventions.

It is further recommended that efforts be stepped up to institutionalize gender through adoption of gender policy and training of agency staff. Support of women's own initiatives to organize Jnd empower themselves for participation and make a difference in the current wave of democratization and development of civil society would enable them to share in the decisions and actions for the creation of an equitable system. In this process, the role of social scientists in synchronizing intellectual pursuit and action-oriented, hands-on research and feedback for re-articulation of development issues cannot be over emphasized.

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