GENDER MAINSTREAMING IN HUMANITARIAN ACTION

Elham Allan, IASC GENCAPTraining session for the WASH Sector

13 November 2013

OBJECTIVES OF TRAINING

- To define what gender is.- To understand how gender is practically implemented during the

project cycle management.- Introduce the Gender Marker and the tool for gender equality

programming - ADAPT and ACT.- Result of the Roll-out of the Gender Marker in Sudan in 2013-HWP.and performance of the WASH sector.- Tips for the meaningful inclusion of gender in WASH projects.- Share useful tools and resources

DEFINING GENDER

One word that comes to your mind when I say: “gender”

Sex Gender

Biologicallydetermined

Socially constructed, context specific - history, culture, tradition, societal norms, religion.

Unchangeable

Learned attributes characteristics assigned to women, girls, boys and men that determine roles, responsibilities, decision-making power, opportunities, privileges, limitations and expectations.

Innate/inborn Dynamic and changeable.

Universal Differs within and between cultures.

SOCIAL DIFFERENCES NOT BIOLOGICAL

GENDER ROLES?

GENDER ROLES CONTINUED…

POWER RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN

Who has more mobility or freedom of movement?

Who has more decision making power?

Who has more involvement in politics or is politically excluded?

Who has more ownership rights for example, land rights?

GENDER ROLES

POWER AND ACCESS

Unequal power relationships between men and women severely affect women’s access:

To resources

To services

To informed choices

To decision making

GENDER EQUALITY PROGRAMMING

In humanitarian situations, gender matters because:

Women and men respond differently

Gender roles and power dynamics can change

Women and men have different needs and concerns

Hence, the different needs must be considered and analyzed in all aspects of the humanitarian response including:

Needs assessment project design implementation monitoring

PROJECT DESIGN PHASE

Three components:

1. Needs assessment helps identify gender differences such as unequal access to services. The gender analysis should highlight different gender needs and concerns.

2. Activities Ways to address the needs identified should be integrated into activities to fill the gabs.

3. Outcome should capture the change that is expected for the target group after implementing the project activities.

GENDER ANALYSIS IN THE NEEDS ASSESSMENT Who is affected?

How are they affected?

What is the breakdown of the identified target group by sex and age?

Who has access to what and are there barriers to accessing services?

Does women & men participate equally in decision-making (parents-teacher association)?

SEX AND AGE DISAGREGGATED DATA (SADD)

What are the demographics by SADD:# of female/male/child headed households, # refugees by sex and age, # displaced by sex and age, # unaccompanied/separated children and adolescent# of persons with disabilities by sex and age, # of pregnant and lactating women, # of elderly men and women

THE PRICE: NEGLECTING SADD

• interventions fail or are misguided

• miss some of the most vulnerable

• deepen pre-crisis inequalities

ADAPT AND ACT

Tool for Gender Equality ProgrammingAnalyze gender differences.Design services to meet needs of all.Access for women, girls, boys and men.Participate equally.Train women and men equally.andAddress GBV in sector programs.Collect, analyze and report sex and age disaggregated data.Target actions based on gender analysis.Coordinate actions with all partners.

GENDER MARKER

A SIMPLE and PRACTICAL tool;

To measure/track inclusion of gender and GBV in projects.

To enable humanitarian teams to ensure women and men, boys and girls benefit equally from assistance.

Requirement in humanitarian appeals.

Or more accurately, the “Who benefits marker”

GENDER MARKER CODING

Gender Code

Description

0No Gender

Gender is not reflected anywhere in the project

sheet. Does not contribute to

gender equality.

GENDER MARKER CODING

Gender Code

Description

1Limited Gender

The project includes gender equality in the

needs assessment, OR in one or more activity.

Contributes in a limited way to gender equality.

GENDER MARKER CODING

Gender Code Description

2aGender

Mainstreaming

A gender analysis is in the project’s needs assessment

AND reflected in the project’s activities AND

outcomes.

Contributes significantly to gender equality.

GENDER MARKER CODING

Gender Code

Description

2bTargeted

action

The project is targeted based on gender analysis.

The principal purpose is to advance gender equality.

GENDER MARKER CODING

Project Vetting FormGender

analysis in Needs

Assessment

Gender in Activities

Gender in Outcomes

No of check marks

Gender Code

3 2a or 2b

2 1

2 1

2 1

1 1

1 1

1 0

0 0 or N/A

Sudan HWP-MYR 2013

25%

69%

5% 1%

Sudan HWP-MYR 2013

1 2a

2b NA

CCS

EDUCATION

FSLGIE

R

HEALTHLET

MA

NFIs/E

S

NUTRIT

ION

PROTECTION

RMS

RER

WASH

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

GM results by Sector

12a2bNA

Tips for the mainstreaming of gender in Needs analysis- What are the roles of women, girls, boys and men in

collecting, handling, managing, storing and treating water?

- Does women and men have equal access to decision forums such as community WASH committees?

- What are the protection risks for women, girls, boys and men related to water and sanitation? What is needed to ensure that access to and use of water points, toilets and bathing facilities is safe, especially for girls and women?

- Are water points, toilets and bathing facilities located and designed to ensure privacy and security?

- Are the physical designs for water points and toilets appropriate to the number and needs of women, girls, boys and men who will use them?

(The Sphere Handbook, 2011)

Tips for the mainstreaming of gender in activities

• Women and men equally and meaningfully involved in decision-making and programme design, implementation and monitoring

• Equal access to services and facilities is routinely monitored

• Women and men trained in the use and maintenance of facilities

• Equal access to cash for work opportunities

• Communal latrine and bathing cubicles for women, girls, boys and men sited in safe locations, culturally appropriate, provide privacy

Tips for the mainstreaming of gender in outcomes

• Decision-making and responsibility for water and sanitation are being shared equally by beneficiary women and men

• Safety of WASH facilities has been enhanced: peer monitors report a decrease in rape and sexual violence and harassment against women/girls, boys/men using or travelling to/from WASH facilities since the launch of the project.

• Evidence of routine hand-washing by women, girls, boys and men.

• [X Number] NGO implementing teams have demonstrated greater capacity to integrate gender issues into WASH emergency response and preparedness (% M/F trainees).

MINIMUM COMMITMENTS – ZERO GENDER BLIND PROJECTS!

Commitments Project stages

Ensure:

equal representation

Analyse:

division of tasks

Promote:

community participation

Identify and reduce:

gender based risks

Respond to:

specific needs

Need assessments

Have you consulted women, girls, men

and boys?

Take in to account cultural roles and

practices

Is the community participating in

project dressings?

Consult the community in the

identification of risks

What do the most vulnerable need?

Activities Are men included in hygiene activities?

Are activities culturally

appropriate?

Are women and men involved in

implementation?

Lights and locks in latrines

Distribution of Hygiene kits adapted

to women in menstruation age

OutcomesHas data been

disaggregated by sex?

Has the time spent in water collection been minimized?

Are women capable of managing basic

infrastructure?

Are the services accessible in a safe

manner?

Have you ensured

privacy?

WHAT CAN THE SECTORS AND PARTNERS DO?

1. Tools: Review assessment & programming tools to ensure gender sensitivity

2. Projects review and prioritization: - Ensure coding accuracy, - Prioritize projects with codes 2a/2b - Request project designers to deepen gender

analysis in their projects where necessary

3. Monitoring includes the collection and analysis of sex and age disaggregated data and verifying if IP are doing what they said they would do on gender.

4. Accountability: Minimum Commitments partners are accountable to (no gender blind projects!)

MINIMUM COMMITMENTS Beneficiary selection criteria need to be defined and monitored throughout

the project (not only for services but training also).

Ensure meaningful participation of women in decision-making (not only as members of established committees but also in leadership positions)

Collect, use and analyze sex and age disaggregated data

Ensure participatory consultation with (all) beneficiaries during needs ass, implementation and monitoring.

Ensure assessment and monitoring teams are gender balanced to be capable of conducting both mixed and separate group discussions with men and women and to allow needs and concerns on gender issues to be openly articulated.

E-learning on Gender in Humanitarian Action and the gender tip sheets:www.humanitarianresponse.info/themes/gender/the-iasc-gender-marker

.

Gender Handbook: https

://www.humanitarianresponse.info/document/gender-handbook )

GBV Guidelines:https

://www.humanitarianresponse.info/document/gbv-guidelines-2005 ) are on the webpage of gender resources... We

Sex and Age Matter Study:http://www.globalprotectioncluster.org/_

assets/files/tools_and_guidance/age_gender_diversity/Report_Sex_Age_Matter_2011_EN.pdf