MEL’s Approach to Gender Sensitive M&E:
NDI’s Gender, Women and Democracy team defines “Gender” as the socially constructed characteristics typically associated with aspects of men or women. These characteristics, and attributes are context and/or time-specific and changeable. In most societies there are differences and inequalities between women and men in responsibilities assigned, activities undertaken, access and control over resources, as well as decision-making opportunities. Gender is part of the broader socio-cultural context. Other important criteria for socio-cultural analysis include religion, class, race, poverty level, ethnic group, gender identity, sexual orientation and age.
Based on this definition, and the fact that gender characteristics, attributes, and opportunities can change over time and are different across contexts, the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning team conceptualizes "gender" in M&E that is inclusive of the spectrum of gender. Given that gender is a complex subject with multifaceted dimensions, the MEL team focuses on women with different characteristics and attributes.
Drawing on Naila Kabeer’s empowerment framework, the MEL team amends its existing tools to help programs to identify and address barriers that hinder women’s and other marginalized groups’ access to political resources, and opportunities to exercise political agency and achieve desired outcomes.
The MEL team uses the SIDA-funded “Women Promoting Pro Poor and Democratic Governance in Burkina Faso” program to develop illustrative examples for the tools. The program is a good example of women’s empowerment intervention in democracy and governance sector. It targets women leaders at local and national levels. Another significance of this program is its introduction and utilization of Kabeer’s Empowerment Framework for data collection and analysis. In Burkina Faso program, Kabeer’s framework was used for designing the baseline, and completing midterm, and final evaluations.
Naila Kabeer’s Empowerment Framework:
Naila Kabeer defines women’s empowerment as a process of change by which women who have been denied the ability to make strategic life choices (i.e. Livelihood and marriage) acquire this ability and exercise choice. The process of exercising choice involves three interrelated dimensions; Access, Agency, and Achievement.
To make Kabeer’s empowerment framework relevant to NDI’s work, the MEL team has modified the framework:
Access to Resources:
“Access to resources” is amended to “access to political & representative resources” such as party lists, elected office, leadership positions on parliamentary committees and/or in community forums . These political and representatives resources provide women (and other marginalized groups) with stepping-stone for reaching decision-making power and influence.
Resources are also informational. For example, women leaders need sex-disaggregated data and statistics on the state of women to advocate for women’s concerns at the national and local level. At the local level, in addition to elected office, access to resources includes the democratic space where local women can discuss their needs, build solidarity and mutual support, and strategize on how to create positive change in their communities.
Agency:
“Political Agency” is defined as the "actions" taken by women leaders (or other marginalized groups) in promoting policies, programs and/or budgets that are sensitive to women’s (other marginalized groups) needs and interests.
Political agency also includes women CSOs participation in networks and initiatives that promote government transparency and social accountability for the use of public resources. At the local level agency is seen as the actions taken by council women in advancing the concerns of women in the local development planning process, as well as increasing local female citizens’ participation and influence in community decision-making processes. Lastly, agency could also include local women and CSOs’ monitoring the quality and delivery of public services to women.
Achievement:
Lastly, “achievement” is defined as political achievement—the change women leaders (other marginalized groups) achieve in legislation, policies, programs, and/or budgets, as a consequence of accessing political resources and exercising political agency.
In addition, political achievement includes the generation and institutionalization of gender-sensitive data and information for ensuring that the differential impacts of policies, program and budgets on women can be monitored, and that women’s needs continue to be visible at the national level. At the local level achievement is seen as council women’s success in identifying women’s priorities and taking action that ultimately improves the quality of women’s lives.
The NDI/Kabeer framework is based on the assumption that IF women achieve Access to Political & Representative Resources AND IF they can exercise Political Agency, THEN they can accomplish an Achievement. IF women accomplish Achievements THEN they will become politically more empowered.