Challenges to integrate gender equality into evaluation / Défis pour intégrer l'égalité des genres en évaluation / Retos para integrar la igualdad de género en evaluación

[SDGs]

INCLUDOVATE -  Call for Researchers, Pacific Focus

[Jolanda]

Considering the 4 steps mentioned by Marco Segone, I would like to add a fifth one; "systems and culture for Learning" both by involved implemting institutions and organisations as at final beneficiary level.

I just finished a program evaluation on MDG-3 goal "Increase Women Political Leadership" and observed that systems are in place but very little is done to learn from challenges and successes on a daily basis. People are busy with systems, procedures and rules and very little with the learning and make change happen at level of norms, values and culture at both individuals as at group/company/community level; the latter being the building stones for change successes in the past to sustain in the future. 

Another striking element is that when equality is the core value to be evaluated; evidence based evaluation needs to be processed on the basis of diversity of social groups among men and women, in their role as change makers and in their role as change users; however this requires high professionalism in use of research technology not being simple use of # and % only, but adding research skills in evidence based social research technology. For this to happen leadership need to be passionated by evaluation as a core activity to ensure reflective decision making and improved investments choices towards sustainable development results for all.

[Minal Mehta]

challenges -

1) lack of political will

2) appropriate program planning , monitoring and evaluation methods.

3) Social/community - high   tolerance or acceptance  for injustice, discrimination , inequality 

4) Ground implementation of  laws very weak and time consuming 

[Rajib Nandi]

A few of the challenges :

1) Is equity focused gender responsive evaluation different from feminist evaluation? If yes, what are the differences? If not, why two different names?

2) Should the equity focused gender responsive evaluations only be practiced by a small group of practitioners or should it be practiced by a larger community of evaluators?

3) How the values of the equity focused gender responsive evaluations could be communicated to the policy makers or the agencies those commission/undertake evaluations?

4) Where one can find resources on equity focused gender responsive evaluations?

[Rituu B Nanda]

One more challenge I have found is that literature on feminist evaluation is very technical and academic. Understanding it and translating it into practice is not easy. Then, gender and equity focused evaluation is seen as a different kind of evaluation done by experts. Before I understood better I did not realise that it is just a lens and we can use any methodology in evaluation appropriate to evaluation objectives. 

[Rituu B Nanda]

Response from Ranjani Murthy find it at this link:

http://gendereval.ning.com/profiles/blogs/challenges-to-gender-equa...

[Rituu B Nanda]

Comment by Julaine Allan 

Rituu, thank you very much for this summary. It is very useful in describing the challenges of gender evaluation. I think there is a difference between equity and equality and the terms are not interchangeable. It could be helpful to decide which term is preferred and how this shapes goals for programs and for evaluations.
Julaine