Using Gender Analysis Frameworks Theoretical and Practical Reflections
Using Gender Analysis Frameworks Theoretical and Practical Reflections
Introduction
Since the 1970s, the issue of women, and later gender, in development has assumed an
ever-increasing prominence and popularity within the development community.
However, despite (or perhaps because of) numerous theoretical and practical advances
and variations, there is much confusion and debate concerning the means by which
‘gender’ considerations can be integrated into development practice. These debates
concern not only the theoretical approach undertaken and intended goals and
objectives, but also the practical strategies and methods which can be used to
implement these and incorporate ‘gender’ into development projects and pro-
grammes. In response to the demand for easy-to-use practical tools by which ‘gender’
can be systematically incorporated into development practice, various gender-analysis
frameworks have been developed.
This article provides reflections on the training in and use of gender-analysis
frameworks, drawing on my experiences while working in Ghana for two local non-
governmental organisations (NGOs) from 1999 to 2001, and more recently for a UK-
based civil society support organisation, the International NGO Training and Research
Centre (INTRAC) from 2005 to 2007. It considers the challenges and limitations as well
as the value of using such frameworks in development practice, and highlights some
of the issues faced in training others to do so.
In order to analyse my experiences and understand some of the issues and
challenges which occur when using, and training others to use, gender-analysis
frameworks, it is necessary first to provide a brief background regarding the
emergence and origins of these frameworks, an overview of the different frameworks
which exist, and an analysis of how these fit more generally into the various theories
and approaches to gender in development. This will provide background information
which is crucial to acknowledge and understand when designing and facilitating
gender-analysis training. The article will go on to discuss various challenges faced in
incorporating gender-analysis frameworks into gender training courses when training
others to use these frameworks in their work, and issues related to their application.
Gender-analysis frameworks
Gender-analysis frameworks have been used in development practice, to varying
degrees, since the mid-1980s. They aim to provide methods by which to gather and use
sex-disaggregated and gender-related data and information to inform development
interventions at various stages, from project/programme conception and design
through to evaluation. They aim to promote gender-aware development practice by
ensuring that gender is taken into consideration at every stage of programme
implementation.
effective and efficient (Longwe 1991; Rao 1991; Gianotten et al. 1994; Kabeer 1994; Karl
1995).
There was also a growing political desire, led principally by feminists in the
development sector, and later adopted throughout the majority of development
agencies (at least in rhetoric), to address and transform unequal gender relations
and ‘empower’ women. Thus gender equality became an objective of development.
However, this desire for gender equality alone was not sufficient and as Smyth
points out, ‘For a long time, [development] agencies have been decrying the lack of
expertise and methodologies that prevents them from achieving their objectives’
(Smyth 1999a, 14).
The need for appropriate methodologies was, and still is, felt by many to be the
missing factor in translating the desire among those committed to ‘incorporating
women/gender into development’ into practice. For instance, as Moser (1993, 5) has
argued ‘many of those committed to integrating gender into their work at policy,
programme or project levels still lack the necessary planning principles and
methodological tools. This issue is critical; planners require simplified tools which
allow them to feed the particular complexities of specific contexts into the planning
process’.
striving for gender equality. The different frameworks themselves have not only
emerged in response to these divergent rationales, but consequently address and
incorporate the issue of women/gender in development in different ways.
Gender-analysis training
Gender training, similar to the desire for gender analysis frameworks, is often
undertaken in response to the demand among development organisations to equip
personnel with necessary skills and tools. Thus it is often seen as a technical solution to
the difficulties of incorporating gender into development (Porter and Smyth 1999; Seed
1999), particularly in the case of gender-analysis (and planning) training. For example,
in my experience of facilitating gender training courses, particularly those with a focus
on gender analysis, such as the INTRAC training course ‘Gender Planning in
Development’, there is often a high demand from participants for a package of tools
and frameworks which enable them to ‘do gender’8. This has led to the ongoing
observation, criticism, and dilemma that gender training risks being divorced from
theory, becoming no more than a technical fix (Seed 1999; Tsikata 2001).
However, as outlined above, the frameworks and tools which are conveyed in
gender training are themselves premised by, and interwoven with, theory and political
ideology. Therefore it is crucial in any training to ensure that these practical tools are
combined with a sound understanding of the values and ideology which underpin
them, as well as providing participants with a necessary critical consciousness
regarding the differing approaches which can be adopted in relation to gender in
development. To ensure this, trainers need to be fully conversant with the theory
underpinning gender-analysis frameworks.
When I facilitated my first gender training courses in Ghana in 1999, although I was
familiar with theories surrounding ‘gender and development’, my understanding of
the nuances of the various frameworks and their differing theoretical underpinnings
was not fully developed. As a result, while my own philosophy behind incorporating
‘gender’ into development was based on a feminist desire to transform gender
relations and combat gender inequalities, this was no doubt counterbalanced and
confused by my use of the Harvard Analytical Framework (HAF) in order to provide
others with the tools to facilitate this. I used the HAF in this instance as it provided a
simple way of enabling participants to gather data regarding men’s and women’s
activities, and access to and control over resources. What I did not fully appreciate was
that when used in practice, taking this information into consideration may do little
more than ensure that an intervention is more efficient, with no overt focus on the
intersections and relationships between men and women and the power relations
which exist (see Kabeer 1994).
At the time my inexperience and ignorance surrounding these frameworks meant
that I, like others9, thought it as simple as selecting one of the numerous frameworks
by which participants would be able to gather and analyse the necessary data in order
to make their work ‘gender sensitive’. But the use of frameworks demands an
appreciation of their underlying principles, as well as a clear understanding of the
aims of the work being undertaken. As Porter and Smyth point out ‘if gender training
is seen only in terms of the access to technical skills, the concepts and tools will be
misunderstood and ineffective’ (1999, 332).
I would not say that these training courses were unsuccessful. On the contrary, they
appeared to have profound effects on the participants in relation to their beliefs and
attitudes, and realisation that gender, and hence many of the roles performed by men
and women, are circumscribed by society and societal norms. But this does highlight
the limitations and potential hazards of inexperienced trainers who lack a firm grasp
of the history and intricacies of gender-analysis frameworks. Although at the time I
was aware that something was amiss, without the necessary knowledge and under-
standing I was unable to identify and remedy it. Despite being pleased to be able to say
that my subsequent experience and education in the theories and practices of ‘gender
and development’ have greatly assisted and influenced my successive gender training
practice, they have also added an awareness of an extra level of complexity regarding
the training of others in gender-analysis frameworks. This has highlighted a number of
dilemmas, at times even tempting me away from the enterprise. However, as the
saying goes, I firmly believe that ‘it is better to light a candle than curse the darkness’.
Baddoo and Tsikata 2001), this is often not the case, and training is frequently
undertaken by only a selection of staff, often from the lower ranks in an organisation
(Mukhopadhyay and Appel 1998). However, training a few staff in the application of
frameworks will never be adequate, or appropriate, particularly if there is a lack of
direction or coherence in terms of an overall policy in which this work can be framed
and on which informed decisions regarding the choice of framework can be based. As
Smyth argues ‘Clarity about their gender-specific objectives and strategies is essential
to clarify the ‘‘why’’ and ‘‘what’’ an individual organisation is trying to achieve, before
they can make informed choice on the ‘‘how’’, in terms of the methodologies they
promote’ (Smyth 1999a, 14, emphasis mine). In addition the ad hoc training of a
selection of staff is unlikely to address the lack of necessary understanding,
commitment and skills among other staff, doing nothing to aid a widespread
organisational adoption of these methods and consequent changes in practice.
However, even if organisational policies and goals of gender work are clear,
difficulties are still likely to occur, as training often takes place with individuals from a
range of institutions attending the same course. While this has benefits in terms of
enabling participants to share experiences, the existence of different approaches and
beliefs among the different participants and organisations represented poses a
particular challenge for the trainer in terms of identifying the appropriate frame-
work(s) to use.
To tackle the above, a potential solution in training can be to provide participants
with the necessary knowledge to make their own choices regarding the most
appropriate frameworks to use, depending on the gender-related goals they hope to
achieve. This would entail a different kind of pedagogy, involving experiential
learning10 and enabling participants to assess frameworks based on the extent to
which they suit their organisation’s ideology. However, participants will remain
constrained by their organisation’s goals and approaches to gender or the lack of
clarity on these.
Perhaps the only truly appropriate solution is to provide more organisational-wide
long-term capacity building support, which includes focusing on the why and the what
in addition to the how, as opposed to one-off trainings for individual staff. But, as
Wallace and Wilson illustrate, an organisational approach does not necessarily solve
these issues. They highlight the resistance to a reflective and analytical approach in
their work with WaterAid, and the demand for tools, packages, and immediate
solutions (Wallace and Wilson 2005).
use them effectively and appropriately. These include the ability to listen to, consult
with, and learn from the communities about, and for whom, information is being
gathered. Munro (1991), for example details various methods which can be used to
enable women [and men] to identify their needs, including discussions around
photographs and the documentation of life histories, stressing the importance of
factors such as the style of discussions, and location, size, and composition of the
group. Stress has also been placed on the need to involve men and women in the
planning and evaluation of projects and programmes (Longwe 1991; Munro 1991),
rather than simply extracting information, analysing and interpreting this, and
developing and imposing interventions.
Combined with this, care needs to be taken in relation to the specific data to be
collected and analysed. Although many of the frameworks suggest the kinds of data to
be sought, whether these concern roles and activities (i.e. in the HAF), or relationships
(i.e. in SRA), adequate care and consultation need to be employed in order to avoid
privileging certain information, or excluding other data, and ensuring shared under-
standing between those collecting as well as those supplying information. For
example, in my experience of using the GAM, during a project evaluation in Ghana,
confusion arose due to a misunderstanding around assessing the impact of the project
on different members of the community. The way in which this concept was translated
and interpreted meant that initially, impacts on what had, prior to the project, been
considered ‘leisure time’ were ignored. Once realised this was remedied by further
explanation and discussions; however, this indicates the care and attention which need
to be exercised. Frameworks are by no means universal (Smyth 1999a), despite often
being presented as such, and their use in different cultures has been noted to be
problematic due to their outside origins, clashes with local perceptions and beliefs, and
difficulties relating to translation (Mukhopadhyay and Appel 1998; Wendoh and
Wallace 2006).
In addition, the use of any framework or methodology to facilitate the gathering of
data is only part the process. As Smyth points out ‘it is essential to remember that no
framework will do the work for you. It may help you plan the work that can be
done . . . [but] the work must still be done’ (Smyth 1999a, 22). The challenge remains to
use the information gathered appropriately. For example, in my experience, although
using the GAM meant that the current (and future potential) impacts of the project on
men and women became clearer, how this knowledge could be translated into concrete
practice aimed at addressing gender inequalities was less clear. Thus, while the
framework provided an adequate methodology for gathering data, it provided us with
no easy answers.
Therefore, despite claims (in this case on behalf of the HAF) that frameworks may
‘provide a sufficient basis for designing and implementing projects that can best benefit
women and benefit by women’s participation’ (Rao 1991, 11, emphasis mine) alone
they are insufficient, and need to be combined with other skills and knowledge, along
Conclusions
This article argues that training development practitioners in the use of gender-
analysis frameworks is a complex process. It is not a question of simply teaching
methods by which practitioners can gather and analyse sex-disaggregated data,
thereby ensuring that their work ‘takes gender into consideration’ or ‘promotes gender
equality’. Ultimately, the challenge in training is to ensure that a balance is reached
between raising participants’ awareness of the different theoretical approaches which
have emerged, and can be adopted, with reference to gender, and providing them with
the necessary skills and frameworks in order to assist them to incorporate whichever
approach they choose to follow. In addition, an understanding of the limitations of
these methods is needed, and due regard to the fact that the use of such frameworks is
only part of the process. It is also crucial to remember that these participants are
members of organisations whose particular philosophy in relation to gender, and
clarity (or lack of it) about the subject, will frame and/or constrain the potential
approaches taken and frameworks adopted. Training a few staff will not alone
promote the organisational-wide adoption of such frameworks.
While many of the challenges discussed and highlighted are not easily resolved,
acknowledging and analysing them at least means that my practice may benefit from
being informed and aware. The demand for tools and methodologies, including
gender-analysis frameworks, among participants and development organisations keen
to increase their capacity to incorporate ‘gender’ into their work remains, as does my
desire for promoting gender equality. Ultimately, what is clear, and what needs to be
kept in mind, is that no technical tools or frameworks can take the place of, or be
used in the absence of, clear objectives in relation to gender, and a commitment to
these. It is hoped that this will help to avoid the situation uncovered by recent research
undertaken in the Gambia, Rwanda, Uganda and Zambia, which found that methods
used in gender work were ‘often mechanical, focusing more on ticking boxes
and recording numbers than addressing values, beliefs and culture’ (Wendoh and
Wallace 2006, 30), resulting in ‘a preponderance of checklists of who does what, when
and where at the expense of undertaking actual practical work with the communities’
(ibid, 73).
Hannah Warren is an independent consultant, currently working for WaterAid. At the time of
writing this article she worked as a Researcher at INTRAC (www.intrac.org), where she was a
member of the Gender Working Group and facilitated gender training courses. (For information
regarding INTRAC’s gender related work contact Indrani Sigamany: [email protected].)
Hannah previously worked in Ghana (1999/2001) for two local NGOs where she was involved in
a range of gender-related work including designing and facilitating gender training courses. Email:
[email protected]
Notes
1 I am grateful to Indrani Sigamani and Sara Methven for their comments on an earlier
draft of this paper.
2 By the social construct of gender I refer to the idea that gender roles and relations are
not fixed, but vary between different contexts both geographically and temporally.
3 Initiated by Esther Boserup in 1970 with the book entitled Women’s Role in Economic
Development. See also Kabeer (1994) for examples of other such studies.
4 This is done adequately elsewhere. For detailed accounts of the history and differing
perspectives of women/gender in development, including women in development
(WID), women and development (WAD) and gender and development (GAD), and
approaches from ‘welfare’ to ‘empowerment’ see for example Moser (1993) or Kabeer
(1994).
5 As Tsikata points out ‘the two goals of social justice [gender equality] and efficiency are
neither similar nor necessarily compatible’ (Tsikata 2001, 21).
6 By ‘traditional’ roles I refer to roles/tasks which women traditionally undertake within
a specific setting. In some locations this may include activities such as handicraft
production or responsibility for water provision.
7 There is a range of literature which provides detailed descriptions, analysis and
comparisons of various gender analysis frameworks and methodologies, some in the
form of guides and manuals aimed to assist development personnel in selection and
use. See for example Rao et al. (1991), Wallace and March (1991), Moser (1993), Kabeer
(1994), Humble (1998), March et al. (1999), Boateng (2001) and Mahama (2001).
8 This experience is by no means unique and has been noted by others including
Mukhopadhyay and Appel (1998), Porter and Smyth (1999), Seed (1999) and Tsikata
(2001).
9 This includes staff in development institutions, participants in gender training courses,
as well as other trainers. For example as Boateng contends ‘I believe that my case is not
unique and that there are quite a few people engaged in gender training in Ghana who
lack systematic knowledge of and training in the necessary concepts, tools [frame-
works] and their underlying theoretical frameworks’ (2001, 230). Research in Ghana
indicates that this may well be the case, finding that ‘. . .very few people involved in
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