Power, Institutions and Gender Relations: Can Evaluations Transform them? (Part II)

[Ranjani K.Murthy]

This presentation made at CES, 2015* argues that the assessment of changes in the world by marginalised women and men in 6 slums in Chennai, India and the world they want is different from the assessment and recommendations of those who do evaluations of schemes of government.

The latter tend to be sectoral in nature. Marginalised women and men think inter-sectorally and inter-institutionally and believe change is needed in areas not covered by sectoral programmes - like working with men on substance use, safe transportation, linking young women's education to empowerment, access to spoken English, access to care etc. They want changes in norms of marriage, family, communities, markets and state, and not just incremental reforms in one sector (which is the focus of evaluations). They see both potential (e.g more employment opportunities) and destruction (e.g displacement) in the neo-liberal paradigm of development unlike evaluators and research who tend to be unipolar in their thinking 

*The World We Want: Canadian Evaluation Society Conference, May 24th, 2015, Montreal, Montreal; 05/2015RANJANI%20K%20MURTHY_Expos%C3%A9_Power%2C%20Institutions%20and%20Ge...

[Ranjani K.Murthy]

Dear Rituu

Thanks for your query. By transformative interests I meant those that challenge power relations between women and men.  The TN govt has improved drinking water supply (gender intensified), supply of sanitary pads in schools (sex specific)  but not gender transformative interests of  women like title deeds of houses on women's names, quota in private sector for women, programs to work with men and boys on gender (beyond life skills), giving protection to couples who adopt choice weddings. Rituu I have just finished writing up my ppt! will post it. Best Ranjani 

[Rituu B Nanda]

Thanks for sharing your presentation. Please refer to slide number 9 what do you mean by - not gender transformative? looking forward to your response.