International
Labour Organization
SEAPAT
South-East Asia and the Pacific Multidisciplinary Advisory Team
ILO/SEAPAT's OnLine Gender
Learning & Information Module
Unit 1: A conceptual framework
for gender analysis and planning
Exercise: Gender needs assessment
Introduction
The concept of gender needs is based on the work of Caroline Moser.
Moser distinguishes between practical and strategic gender needs and develops
a gender planning methodology called gender needs assessment. Is this a
useful distinction for development planners and practitioners? Does assessing
gender needs make a difference to the way they plan, implement and evaluate
activities?
As Moser explains:
Gender needs assessment classifies planning interventions
in terms of those that meet practical gender needs¾
that is, the needs identified to help women in their existing subordinate
position in society¾ and strategic gender
needs¾ namely, the needs identified to
transform existing subordinate relationships between men and women....
...Frequently different needs are confused. Clarification
is essential if realistic parameters are to be identified both as to what
can be accomplished in the planning process, as well as the limitations
of different policy interventions.... Because it deals directly with the
issue of subordination, this planning tool is the crux of the framework
for a gender planning methodology. As such, gender needs assessment is
a tool by which it is possible to measure changes.
The following exercise helps clarify the distinction between practical
and strategic gender needs and the applicability of this concept to development
interventions.
Objective
To apply the concept of gender needs in assessing the actual and potential
impact of selected projects.
Method
-
Examine the definitions of
gender roles and gender needs provided. Consider how these concepts
are applied in the Table 1, which presents examples of various types of
development interventions from different sectors.
Table 1. Women’s triple role and practical and strategic gender
needs:
examples from sectoral interventions
| |
Women’s role recognised
|
Gender need met
|
| Type of intervention |
R
|
P
|
CM
|
PGN
|
SGN
|
| 1. Employment policy |
| a) Skill training |
|
Cooking angel cakes
|
X
|
|
|
X?
|
|
|
Dressmaking
|
|
X
|
|
X
|
|
|
Masonry/carpentry
|
|
X
|
|
X
|
X(1)
|
| b) Access to credit |
|
Allocated to household
|
|
X
|
|
X
|
|
|
Allocated to women
|
|
X
|
|
X
|
X(2)
|
| 2 Human settlement policy |
| a) Zoning legislation |
|
Separates residence and work
|
X
|
|
|
|
|
|
Does not separate residence and work
|
X
|
X
|
|
X
|
|
| b) House ownership |
|
In man’s name
|
X
|
|
|
X
|
|
|
In woman’s name
|
X
|
X
|
|
X
|
X(3)
|
| 3. Basic services |
| a) Location of nursery |
|
Located in community
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
|
|
Mother’s workplace
|
X
|
X
|
|
X
|
|
|
Father’s workplace
|
X
|
X
|
|
X
|
X(4)
|
| b) Transport services |
|
Only peak hours bus service
|
|
X
|
|
X?
|
|
|
Adequate off-peak service
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
|
| c) Timing of rural extension meetings |
|
In the morning
|
|
X
|
|
X
|
|
|
In the afternoon/evening
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
|
R=Reproductive P=Productive C=Community managing
PGN=Practical gender need SGN= Strategic gender need
-
Changing the gender division of labour
-
Control over financial services
-
Overcoming discrimination against women owning land, by law
or tradition
-
Alleviation of the burden of domestic labour
-
Read and consider one or more of the case
studies provided.
-
On the basis of the definitions and examples you have examined in step
1 above, and for each of the case studies you have read in step 2 above,
fill in the following information in Table 2 below:
-
Roles: On which of men's and women's roles do you consider the intervention
was intended to focus, and on which do you think it focused in practice?
-
Gender needs: Identify which gender needs the intervention was intended
to meet, or met in practice.
Table 2: Gender needs assessment chart for case studies
| Project |
Role on which focused
|
Gender needs met
|
| |
Intention
|
Actual
|
Intention
|
Actual
|
| |
R
|
P
|
CM/P
|
R
|
P
|
CM/P
|
PGN
|
SGN
|
PGN
|
SGN
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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|
|
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|
|
|
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|
|
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|
-
Consider the usefulness of distinguishing between practical and strategic
gender needs as a planning tool. Answer the questions below:
-
In your opinion, can gender needs analysis potentially improve the design,
implementation and impact of development interventions related to the labour
market?
-
If so, from your own experience, describe an example of where and how gender
needs assessment did help, or could have helped, in improving the quality
or outcomes of an intervention.
[Adapted from Caroline Moser and C. Levy, Training materials
developed for training in gender planning for development, 1984-90, in
Caroline Moser, Gender Planning and Development: Theory, Practice and
Training, Routledge, London, 1993; and Gender Issues in the World
of Work: Gender Training Package, ILO, Geneva, 1995.]
Module Homepage
For further information, please contact the South-East
Asia and the Pacific Multidisciplinary
Advisory Team (SEAPAT) at Tel: +63.2.815.2354
or Fax: +63.2.812.6143
E-mail: seapat@ilo.org
Copyright © 1998 International Labour Organization
(ILO)
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