| Definition |
General projects with gender mainstreamed aimed at giving equal opportunities to both men and women as participants |
| This approach may be particularly appropriate where: |
- a large number of women fit the criteria (level of education, income level, physical capabilities, etc.) for participation in the project
- a precedent for shared participation among men and women in projects has already been established
- cultural traditions encourage women and men to work together
- the publicity and other forms of information outreach will reach both men and women
|
| Some advantages of implementing general projects with gender mainstreamed include: |
- the possibility that women can take full advantage of the resources and high priority that general projects have
- women's potentially increased access to and influence on decision-makers
- opportunity for men to work with and share responsibilities with women in the context of the project
|
| Some disadvantages of implementing general projects with gender mainstreamed include: |
- the creation of competition between men and women for scarce project resources. Women may lose out because of their lack of experience in negotiating in mixed groups, because of low self-esteem of confidence, or because of distance from informal information networks
- the danger that, if information on women's role within the project is not identified at the design stage, the project will inadvertently exclude women through choices of promotion mechanisms, location, timing of project, etc.
- the possibility that women will be excluded from employment or training opportunities if male participants have expressed an interest
|
| In designing general projects with gender mainstreamed it is important to ensure that: |
- project documents clearly delineate specifically how women will participate in and benefit from each activity
- project design facilitates women's participation in accordance with their needs and responsibilities
- training and employment opportunities in the project are scheduled to ensure that women can participate equally with men
- continuous monitoring is undertaken, through progress reports and other mechanisms, to allow for assessment of how women have participated in and benfited from project activities
|
