Gender Pays Off

At a Glance

Gender analyses are mandatory

For many years now, the promotion of gender equality through gender mainstreaming  has been a key strategy in international cooperation. Many of GIZ’s commissioning parties are committed to promoting gender equality, and gender aspects play an important  role in programming, designing and planning measures. For example, the commission  award criteria of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ, 2001) clearly state that a gender analysis must be conducted at the start  of a new bilateral development cooperation project. Gender analysis is also a key priority within the framework of GIZ’s gender strategy.  Since February 2011, one of the aims of the approval of the offer design (ZAK) meetings  is to review whether a gender analysis has been conducted during the appraisal and of- fer design stage and how the results have been integrated into the objectives system  and into the methodological approach. If no gender analysis has been conducted, the  ZAK committee stipulates that one be carried out.

Gender analyses provide recommendations for the methodological  approach and for the objectives system. They provide a basis for  awarding the gender marker

In business with BMZ, GIZ complies with the criteria laid down by the OECD’s Develop- ment Assistance Committee (OECD-DAC). These demand that the impacts that measures  will have on gender equality must be assessed before the gender marker is awarded.  This means that, ideally, a gender analysis should be incorporated into appraisals and  be carried out before the commission is awarded. Conducting a gender analysis should enable you to develop a gender-responsive objectives system and devise a methodological approach. Both are necessary to give equal  consideration to the needs of men and women within the scope of projects and programmes and to make necessary adjustments to the monitoring system. A gender anal- ysis should therefore present projects and programmes with recommendations for the  objectives system and for the methodological approach. This means that a gender analysis provides a basis for assigning the gender marker. Even if a project or programme  is deemed to have no gender relevance and is awarded the marker GG-0, the decision  to assign this marker must be based on the results of a gender analysis.

Gender analyses improve gender mainstreaming 

A gender analysis isn’t just a BMZ requirement; it provides a basis for systematically integrating gender into service delivery, and thus helps improve gender mainstreaming. Although it is supposed to be carried out before the start of a measure, it may make  more sense to schedule the analysis at a later stage or to carry out an additional, more  detailed analysis. It is never too late! Even if the gender marker has already been assigned, there is often further scope for increasing the gender responsiveness of the  strategies, approaches and methods used.