| Session Title: Approaches to Evaluating Gender Equality |
| Multipaper Session 206 to be held in Capitol Ballroom Section 5 on Thursday, Nov 6, 9:15 AM to 10:45 AM |
| Sponsored by the Feminist Issues in Evaluation TIG |
| Chair(s): |
| Tristi Nichols, Manitou Inc, tnichols@manitouinc.com |
| Discussant(s): |
| Sharon Brisolara, Evaluation Solutions, evaluationsolutions@hughes.net |
| Abstract: Fostering women's equality is often the aim of international development projects working with women. How to evaluate gender equality and how to understand 'women's empowerment' within the context of an international development project, however, are matters for which there is little discussion in the literature. Sessions in this panel will present a discussion of the issues shaping what has been and can be done with respect to evaluating gender equality, concrete examples of how gender equality and related indicators have been evaluated, and a discussion of appropriate evaluation approaches and models to use in addressing gender issues. |
| Assessing the Outcomes and Impacts of Alternative Strategies for Promoting Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment in International Development Programs |
| Michael Bamberger, Independent Consultant, jmichaelbamberger@gmail.com |
| Although gender equality is a major goal of international development, relatively little empirical evidence is available on the impacts of development interventions on indicators of gender equality. Cost and time constraints are often cited to explain this lack of empirical data. The paper will use ongoing research on food security to illustrate ways to obtain operationally useful estimates of gender impacts within typical budget, time and data constraints. Promising approaches include: (a) more effective use of existing program data; (b) mining the extensive, but frequently under-utilized community knowledge of local organizations involved in program service delivery; (c) techniques for reconstructing baseline data; and (d) mixed-method approaches combining simple quantification with participatory techniques for reconstructing causal chains. The systematic use of triangulation is recommended to confront the widely different estimates of outcomes such as improved gender relations versus continued high levels of domestic violence often obtained from program staff and other sources. |
| Empowering Women In Muslim Majority Countries |
| Karl Feld, D3 Systems Inc, karl.feld@d3systems.com |
| Veronica Gardner, D3 Systems Inc, veronica.gardner@d3systems.com |
| Research can measure the effectiveness of women's empowerment initiatives in the economies of the Muslim world at the individual level. It has a role to play in quantifying international program assumptions about Muslim women's desires, hopes and experiences amongst the general populations of Muslim-majority countries. It can also provide insight into how to mobilize women to change their socio-cultural environment for the better. This research suggests that many of the fundamental assumptions made about Muslim women today are correct, but much more nuanced than often suggested. This is particularly the case when it comes to getting social, cultural and legal reform right. An empirical knowledge of the heterogeneous state of women's enfranchisement and their attitudes towards it by country and region in the Muslim world today can improve the performance of assistance efforts. |
| Gender Issues in Global Evaluation |
| Donna Podems, Macro International, donna.R.Podems@macrointernational.com |
| It's a quagmire it seems, discussions on gender and feminist evaluation and their practical application. The discussion on the differences between gender and feminist evaluation and their practical application occurs in various evaluation contexts throughout the 'developed' and 'developing' world, from conference venues to field work. A case study based on a sex workers project in South Africa that is fighting for the legalization of sex work will provide the case study to: Describe the differences between gender and feminist approaches; Discuss strategies for applying feminist and/or gender elements in their own evaluations; and allow for dialogue regarding, is it Feminist or Gender? |