The workshop began by clarifying the differences between "sex" and "gender." Sex is the physical and biological difference between men and women. It is universal and unchanging. Gender, on the other hand, refers to the expectations that people have from someone because they are male or female. It is the socially constructed relationship between men and women.

Another concept covered was the division of gender-based responsibilities into triple roles:

· Reproductive role: This is work that involves the care of the household and its members.

· Productive role: This is work that involves the production of goods and services for consumption and trade.

· Community role: This is work that involves the collective organisation of social events and community improvement activities.

For conducting gender-sensitive needs assessments, the distinction between "practical gender needs" and "strategic gender interests" was explained. Practical gender needs are defined as daily needs, such as food, clothing, income, health, shelter and basic services. They are easily identified by women and can often be addressed in the short-term by specific interventions, such as a handpump to provide clean drinking water. Strategic gender interests, on the other hand, are more abstract and pertain to women’s social status in the home and community. They are more difficult to address as they may require altering prevailing social attitudes and norms about gender roles and capabilities.

Key Tools of Gender Analysis

Gender analysis is more than just the collection of data separately for males and females, but entails a thorough exploration of gender-based roles; household decision-making processes; the physical and social well-being of both sexes; and the social institutions and cultural phenomena that influence gender issues. The workshop covered several key tools for collecting data pertaining to four essential areas of gender analysis:

· Gender division of labour

· Access and control of resources

· Power dynamics

· Qualitative analysis

 

Exchanging Information

An important aspect of the workshop was that it provided a forum where DA’s field practitioners, from multiple levels of the organisation, could exchange their views and experiences. For example, a presentation made by staff from the DA/Jhansi office provided insight into their approach to analysing gender and resources. Members of the DA/Bangalore office, in turn, offered an interesting overview of their application of the systems assessment approach. They focused on their work identifying community-generated indicators to measure gender issues. These include:

· Percentage of women with equal access to facilities

· Percentage of women and men participating in elections

· Percentage of women with equal wages compared with  men (volume of work, not time)

· Percentage of women holding land in their names

 

Conclusions

"Gender" has become a buzzword among non-governmental organisations. Often, NGOs emphatically agree that they need to make their community-based projects gender-sensitive, but uncertainty about how to go about it, and what this really means, prevails. The workshop described here helped to define and clarify important gender-related concepts in development practice. At the same time, it introduced participants to a wide range of practical research tools that could be used to help ensure that gender concerns are addressed in their development projects.

Overall, feedback from workshop participants was very positive. But, ultimately, the real success of this workshop should be judged in the near future, when it becomes apparent whether or not participants are incorporating some of the concepts and tools they learned about into their project activities. q

For further information, contact Barbara Rawlins at Development Alternatives, New Delhi.