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Definition
What is gender analysis?
Gender analysis involves examining the relationships of men
and women in a specific place and time, and understanding
the division of labor, access and control to resources, decision-making
processes and power dynamics by age, gender, race, ethnicity
and other socially defined roles.
Note: The terms 'sex' and 'gender' are often confused. A person's
sex refers to their biological identity. A person is born
either male or female, determined by their sexual organs.
Sexual differences are the same around the world, across cultures
and time. A person's gender refers to their social identity,
learned behaviors, roles, responsibilities, power, attitudes
and problems based on one's sex. Gender is a dynamic concept
that varies between cultures and across time, and is shaped
by many different social processes.
Why is gender analysis important in agricultural research?
Understanding the different roles, responsibilities and access
to resources of men and women is critical to improving food
security, nutrition and sustainability of agricultural systems.
The FAO website on gender and agriculture (link below) notes
that "both women and men play critical roles in agriculture
throughout the world, producing, processing and providing
the food we eat. Rural women in particular are responsible
for half of the world's food production and produce between
60 and 80 percent of the food in most developing countries.
Yet, despite their contribution to global food security, women
farmers are frequently underestimated and overlooked in development
strategies.
Rural women are the main producers of the world's staple crops
- rice, wheat, maize - which provide up to 90 percent of the
rural poor's food intake…Their contribution to secondary
crop production, such as legumes and vegetables, is even greater.
Grown mainly in home gardens, these crops provide essential
nutrients and are often the only food available during the
lean seasons or if the main harvest fails. Women's specialized
knowledge about genetic resources for food and agriculture
makes them essential custodians of agro-biodiversity... Also,
once the harvest is in, rural women provide most of the labor
for post-harvest activities, taking responsibility for storage,
handling, stocking, processing and marketing.
Although rural women are assuming an increasingly prominent
role in agriculture, they remain among the most disadvantaged
of populations. War, the rural-to-urban migration of men in
search of paid employment and rising mortalities attributed
to HIV/AIDS has led to a rise in the numbers of female-headed
households in the developing world. This 'feminization of
agriculture' has placed a considerable burden on women's capacity
to produce, provide, and prepare food in the face of already
considerable obstacles. FAO studies demonstrate that while
women in most developing countries are the mainstay of agricultural
sectors, the farm labor force and food systems (and day-to-day
family subsistence), they have been the last to benefit from
- or in some cases have been negatively affected by - prevailing
economic growth and development processes.
Gender bias and gender blindness persist: farmers are still
generally perceived as 'male' by policy-makers, development
planners and agricultural service deliverers. For this reason,
women find it more difficult than men to gain access to valuable
resources such as land, credit and agricultural inputs, technology,
extension, training and services that would enhance their
production capacity. Despite the fact that women are the world's
principal food producers and providers, they remain 'invisible'
partners in development. A lack of available gender disaggregated
data means that women's contribution to agriculture in particular
is poorly understood and their specific needs ignored in development
planning. FAO recognizes that the empowerment of women is
key to raising levels of nutrition, improving the production
and distribution of food and agricultural products and enhancing
the living conditions of rural populations."
Recommended reading:
Several books and manuals have been written for agricultural
researchers and development practitioners to integrate gender
analysis into their work. The list below is a starting place
for understanding gender analysis in agricultural research:
- Feldstein, Hilay Sims; Jiggins, Janice. 1994. Tools for the
field: Methodologies handbooks for gender analysis in agriculture.
West Hartford, Conn.: Kumarian Press.
- Moser, Caroline O.N. 1993. Gender Planning and Development.
Theory, Practice, and Training. London: Routledge.
Relevant CCRP projects
None listed as of
.
Relevant events
None listed as of
.
Relevant literature
Available on the Internet
Tools of Gender Analysis: A Guide to Field Methods for
Bringing Gender into Sustainable Resource Management
- Website: PRGA
-
Reference: Thomas-Slayter, B., A.L. Esser, and M.D. Shields,
M. Dale. 1993. Tools of Gender Analysis: A Guide to Field
Methods for Bringing Gender into Sustainable Resource Management.
ECOGEN Research project. Clark University.
- Description: "This guide focuses on ways gender analysis
helps to increase the effectiveness of development for sustainable
resource management. It presents an overview of gender considerations
and suggests analytical tools for development professionals
in NGO and government and international organizations to increase
the effectiveness and sustainability of project activities.
The primary goal is to make policy and program specialists
aware of simple and inexpensive tools to incorporate gender
concerns into development."
Engendering the Logical Framework
- Website: ISNAR
-
Reference: Hambly Odame, Helen. 2001. Engendering the Logical
Framework. ISNAR.
- Description: "The logical framework or logframe is an
analytical tool used to plan, monitor, and evaluate projects.
It derives its name from the logical linkages set out by the
planner(s) to connect a project's means with its ends. The
logframe is only one monitoring and evaluation tool and its
use does not pre-empt the use of other evaluation tools such
as priority-setting or rate-of-return analysis. The logframe
was originally developed by the United States Department of
Defense, and adopted by the United States Agency for International
Development in the late 1960s. Since then, it has been applied
and modified by many bilateral donors, including Germany,
the United Kingdom, the European Union, Canada, and Australia...Engendering
the logical framework is about identifying and accounting
for the gender issues implicit in the planning, monitoring,
and evaluation of research and development projects. The conventional
use of the logframe warrants critique because it has often
been "gender blind" with insufficient attention
paid to the nature of the process behind its preparation and
use. Hence, this paper describes the potential of the logframe
for R&D monitoring and evaluation, taking into account
gender roles and relations."
Gender analysis for sustainable livelihoods framework:
Tools and links to other sources
- Website: Sustainable
livelihoods toolbox (link to downloadable Word document)
- Reference: Pasteur, K. 2002. Gender Analysis for Sustainable
Livelihoods Frameworks, tools and links to other sources (DRAFT).
- Description: "The livelihoods needs of men and women
are not always the same, due to their different roles, responsibilities
and resources. The impact of different livelihood interventions
will also vary according to gender: e.g. a technology to relieve
the workload of men, may result in an increase in the workload
of women, or vice versa. Women and men are likely to differ
also in their capacity, authority or availability to participate
in livelihoods analysis or livelihoods interventions, so attention
must be paid to overcoming such barriers. This short tool
aims to briefly highlight the importance of gender analysis,
and to suggest frameworks and tools to guide the practitioner
in incorporating gender aspects into a livelihoods analysis."
Relevant links
CGIAR Systemwide Program on Participatory Research
and Gender Analysis
- Website: PRGA
-
Description: This site aims to improve gender analysis and
participatory research in all the international agricultural
research centers. The site has an overview on both participatory
research and gender analysis, recommended resources, updates
on activities, relevant links and other useful information.
The Socio-economic and Gender Analysis (SEAGA) Programme
-
Website: SEAGA
-
Description: The Socio-economic and Gender Analysis (SEAGA)
Programme was established in 1993 by the FAO, UNDP, ILO and
World Bank to promote gender awareness in development programs.
This site has downloadable guides on gender analysis research
tools and an overview of gender analysis as it relates to
development issues.
BRIDGE
- Website: BRIDGE
-
Description: BRIDGE was set up in 1992 as a specialised gender
and development research and information service within the
Institute of Development Studies in the United Kingdom. "BRIDGE
supports gender advocacy and mainstreaming efforts by bridging
the gaps between theory, policy and practice with accessible
and diverse gender information in print and online. This site
has been set up as a 'virtual bookcase' where you can download
copies of all BRIDGE publications. You can find these either
by theme or by type of publication using the menu bars."
There are several different types of resources on this site,
including reports, bibliographies, bulletins which summarize
key gender issues, internet materials and reviews of progress
in gender policies.
Siyanda
- Website: Siyanda
-
Description: Siyanda is an online
database of gender and
development materials from around the world. Siyanda aims
to be an ever growing resource to support practitioners in
implementing gender programmes and in mainstreaming gender
equality concerns, whether they are gender specialists or
not. The main objectives of the site are to: 1) present short
summaries of online
work; 2) enable users to download full-length
materials quickly and easily, free of charge; 3) facilitate
a culture of sharing information and materials on gender and
development among people working in this field and 4) work
with partner organisations across the world to build an online
space that reflects their interests and needs and that connects
them with like-minded colleagues.
GenderStats
- Website: GenderStats
- Description: "GenderStats is an electronic database of
gender statistics and indicators designed with user-friendly,
menu-driven features. It offers statistical and other data
in modules on several subjects. The data in each module is
presented in ready-to-use format. Users have the option of
saving the country views in Excel (or another spreadsheet
software) to customize them for their own reports. GenderStats
is updated continuously as new information becomes available.
The database is work in progress and its coverage has been
expanded to include themes that range from health and education
to political participation and poverty. Sex-disaggregated
data for some themes are limited. The database includes indicators
for which sex-disaggregated data are in many cases unavailable
to point out the importance of collecting such data in a disaggregated
form. This often can be done at the source of collection.
Data sources for GenderStats include national statistics,
United Nations databases, and World Bank-conducted or funded
surveys."
Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) Website
Pages on Gender and on Gender and Agriculture
Gender Dimensions in Natural Resource Management
- Website: FAO
SDdimensions
- Description: The aim of the Women and Population Division
(SDW) of FAO is to enhance understanding among rural people,
development practitioners, researchers and decision-makers
about these issues and upgrade their skills to use gender-sensitive
and participatory approaches. The purpose of this site is
to share information emerging from SDW's work with interested
organizations and individuals.
Gender Relations in Agricultural Research
- Website: ISNAR
- Description: Research over the past decades has increasingly
pointed to the importance of gender issues in agricultural
development. ISNAR's project 'Gender relations in agricultural
research' explores the role of gender issues in agricultural
research policy, management, and organization. The site has
publication links, internet resources and links to other internet
sites involved in gender analysis.
Gender analysis frameworks, Global Development Research
Center
- Website: GDRC
- Description: This online
document helps researchers use a
gender analysis framework to assess gender issues in projects
and programmes. "Gender Analysis Frameworks are step-by-step
tools for carrying out gender analysis, which help to raise
questions, analyze information, and develop strategies to
increase women's and men's participation in and benefits from
projects and programmes."
University of Florida's Gender, Environment, Agriculture
and Participation Reference List
- Website: UFL
reference list
- Description: This website provides a list of references on
gender, agriculture and participation, and sorts the references
by region as well as topic (e.g. nutrition, forestry). There
is also an online module on gender analysis.
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