Tearfund
Disaster Management Team Good Practice Guidelines
Gender Sensitivity
Written by David Bainbridge, Shona Macpherson and Mandy Marshall
Version 1, September 2007
The ‘DMT Good Practice Guidelines’ provide practical guidance on how to
implement, what Tearfund Disaster Management Team consider to be, good practice
on a range of cross cutting and sectoral topics. The guidelines are internally
designed for Tearfund DMT field staff but may also be a useful reference for
Tearfund UK staff. They do not give in-depth information on the issue, but are
intended to be simple and user friendly guides that provide practical information for
practitioners in the field. They are freely available for use or adaptation by Tearfund
partners and other organisations committed to good practice in disaster
management.
For Tearfund staff this document can be found in:
Briefing & Ref Docs\04 Good Practices (GP)\04.3 GP Cross Cutting Issues\04.3.2 Beneficiary Accountability
For external downloads go to:
http://tilz.tearfund.org/Topics/Disaster+Management/Cross+cutting+issues+good+practice.htm
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Contents
Introduction
3
Section 1 Definitions and context
3
1.1 Definition
3
1.2 Biblical justification
3
1.3 The role of the church
4
1.4 Developmental justification
4
1.5 Specific areas of concern for Tearfund
4
1.6 Gender in disasters
5
1.6.1 Example from Liberia of gender exploitation
6
Section 2 Theory of good practice in gender sensitivity
8
2.1 Understanding practical and strategic gender needs
8
Section 3 – Tools for good practice
11
3.1 Seven practical steps to becoming gender sensitive
11
Step 1 Research & analyse existing roles & perspectives of men & women
12
Step 2 Ensure assessments gather perspectives of women, men & children
12
Step 3 Identify groups (women, men & children) to be targeted; ensuring the best
approach is taken for each group
13
Step 4 Ensure the gender of staff is appropriate to the activities to be carried out
13
Step 5 Ensure protection for women & children & avoid increasing vulnerability
13
Step 6 Encourage & facilitate participation of women & children as well as men
14
Step 7 Monitor impact on men & women
14
3.2 Rapid gender relations checklist
16
3.3 Outline gender analytical framework: beneficiary groups 16
Section 4 Case studies illustrating DMT meeting practical & strategic
gender needs
17
4.1 DMT case study 1: Example of DMT addressing strategic gender needs in
Sierra Leone
17
4.2 DMT case study 2: Example of challenges DMT met when addressing practical
gender needs in south Sudan
18
4.3 DMT case study 3: Example of DMT addressing practical and strategic gender
needs in Burundi
20
Section 5 Useful publications and resource people and organisations
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Introduction
Gender refers to the roles and responsibilities of men and women that are socially
determined. It is different from sex which is the biological differences between
men and women. Neither is it solely about the role of women.
However, in many cultures, women suffer from considerable inequality. UN
statistics highlight some of these disadvantages. Though 51% of the world’s
population are women, they are responsible for 66% of the world’s work and only
10% of the world’s income. 66% of non-literate people and only 1% of the world’s
property owners are women. Women hold only 14% of parliamentary seats
worldwide. In addition 70% of those living in poverty are women and more than
half a million women die in pregnancy and childbirth each year. Gender-based
violence causes more deaths and disability among women aged 15 to 44 than
cancer, malaria, traffic accidents and war (WHO, World report on violence and
health, 2000).
Tearfund believes that the bible teaches that Men and Women are equal before
God and the relationship between them is to be one of partnership. Tearfund is
committed to the vision of the restoration of God’s original intention of
relationship between men and women. Tearfund will work towards this by
ensuring that its own policies, practices, and the programmes it supports are
gender-sensitive.
Christian communities, including churches and Christian organisations, are often
observed by wider society to see how they implement their understanding of
gender relations. Tearfund is aware of its own need to be an organisation that
works towards gender justice both in the projects it supports and in its own
corporate life.
Definitions and context
1.1 Definition
‘Gender’ reflects the expectations, opportunities and behaviours expected by
society of men, women, girls and boys. Roles and expectations differ according to
social status. They change over time within a society and they differ from one
society to another.
1.2 Biblical justification
Tearfund’s Gender in Relief and Development Policy states that:
‘Men and women are equal before God. From the beginning our relationship
was intended to be one of partnership in a common cause. In the creation
story men and women were given a mandate to nurture the world and
manage its resources as God’s representatives. We live in a world which
has been deeply compromised by personal sin as well as corporate and
social evil. God’s original intentions for partnership have been distorted by
considerations of power, abuse and self-seeking. Injustice and oppression
have many forms in different cultures, but gender injustice can be seen in
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the way women lack access to power, wealth and resources. They do not
have much access to education or employment, and the work which they
do is frequently not recognised economically.’
Jesus treated both men and women as individuals, worthy of his full attention. He
encouraged and affirmed women throughout his teaching, at a time when society
gave women little value.
1.3 Role of the church
The church in the community is often seen as taking the lead in setting the moral
framework within which society should operate. However, in general the church
has been slow to engage in the issue of gender awareness and sensitivity. Indeed,
it is an issue that often divides Christians, many of whom believe that there is a
biblical basis for men to maintain authority within the church. This debate often
deflects attention from recognising the equal value of men and women in the sight
of God, both within and outside the church.
The church is centrally placed to challenge cultural and social behaviour which are
not biblical. Churches should advocate for, and support, the equal worth of men
and women.
1.4 Developmental justification
Developmental reasons for addressing gender inequalities include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Gender inequalities are a social injustice that often contravene people’s
basic human rights
Millennium Development Goal 3 is to promote gender equality and
empower women.
Women are often disproportionately affected by disaster
Failing to address gender inequalities often leads to failed development
programmes
Programme effectiveness improved by including women and men as a
result, the whole family
Research has shown that educating girls is the single most effective tool
in poverty reduction
1.5 Specific areas of concern for Tearfund
•
•
•
•
•
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Gender issues relating to water and sanitation.
Gender issues relating to HIV since gender inequality fuels the spread of
HIV.
Gender issues relating to healthcare, particularly for women.
Ensuring the Gender in Relief and Development policy is mainstreamed
and implemented across the organisation.
Supporting gender capacity development for staff of partners and
providing support for partners who wish to develop and implement a
gender policy.
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•
Gender issues relating to disasters.
1.6 Gender in disasters
In emergency situations men and women have different needs, interests,
vulnerabilities, capacities and coping strategies.
Widespread armed and ethnic conflict has a gender dimension. The proportion of
women-maintained households in turbulent situations has been increasing in
recent years and women and children form up to 85% of all those displaced by
conflict and disasters. Women are vulnerable to violence, especially sexual
violence, intimidation and abuse.
In times of conflict where there is massive population displacement this can lead
to family and social structure break down, disruption to moral frameworks and a
lack of traditional protection systems. This can result in an increase in the
economic vulnerability of women and unaccompanied minors. Commercial sex
work can increase as well as sexual violence and coercive sex.
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From camp to community: Liberia study on exploitation of
children1
“Monrovia, 9 May 2006 (IRIN) - The Government of Liberia and the UN
peacekeeping mission on Tuesday promised to conduct investigations into a
report by British-based charity Save the Children that Government workers ,
peacekeepers and aid workers are giving Liberian girls money, food and favours
in return for sex. Government workers, peacekeepers and aid workers are giving
Liberian girls money, food and favours in return for sex. In its report released this
week, Save the Children said officials at camps for displaced Liberians,
peacekeepers, government employees and teachers were among those abusing
their positions of authority to have sex with girls as young as eight.
In all the camps, people cited distribution centres as places where men look for
girls for sex, and video clubs and nightclubs, dance areas or entertainment
centres. ‘Ghetto’ areas of the camps are areas where alcohol and drugs are sold
and consumed. Some children sell alcohol and they are at particular risk of rape
and sexual exploitation. The surrounding bush land is also referred to as a
dangerous place for children as some children collecting firewood, etc, have been
raped. Latrines, washing areas, and the area around the hand pumps are places
where men may go to look for girls to have sex with, often at night time. In the
camps, however, camp officials or NGO workers were reported to approach girls
in their homes.”
1
From “From Camp to Community: Liberia Study on Exploitation Children” Save
the Children, 2006
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In this situation gender sensitive programming is required to reduce the
vulnerability of high risk groups.
Things that NGOs should consider include:
• the location that latrines and wells are sited
• the means to protect women and children gathering fire wood (or if
necessary external provision of fire wood)
• provision of alternative livelihood options for those who are reliant on the
sale of alcohol or sex as a means of income
• sensitisation of men
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Theory of good practice in gender sensitivity
2.1 Understanding practical and strategic gender needs
In many societies men and women have traditionally different culturally
constructed, roles and responsibilities, they also have different needs; practical
and strategic. Practical needs are to do with what people need to carry out their
current roles more easily. Examples of actions that address women’s practical
needs might include:
•
•
•
•
•
providing
providing
providing
providing
providing
water sources in convenient locations
grinding mills
health care
skills training
income generating activities
Projects can be designed to meet the practical needs of both men and women
without necessarily changing their relative position in society.
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By contrast women’s strategic needs are concerned with changing their position
and status. Examples of strategic needs might include:
•
•
•
involvement in community decision making
improved legal status over land ownership
improved education opportunities
Achieving equality is most effectively approached by changing the unequal
relations of men and women to one another, rather than by changing the situation
of women in isolation. (See case study 1 ‘DMT addressing strategic gender needs
in Sierra Leone’ in section 4, as an example).
How much should DMT be concerned with addressing
strategic needs within our programmes?
Tearfund as an organisation is committed to meeting women’s strategic needs and
to changing the unequal relationship between men & women. DMT programmes
should agree the particular focus of addressing strategic needs within the
programme’s context and operational timeframe. DMT projects often encourage
women’s participation in community decision making, in village development
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committees, in employment etc. but not on for example legal issues due to the
timescales that would be involved in seeing changes made to the laws of the
country.
In agreeing this focus recognise that it is important that DMT staff:
• be sensitive and not to impose ‘solutions’
• consider their programme timeframes to ensure that interventions are
achievable and realistic
• consider skills amongst the team needed to carry it out
• consider gender balance in DMT’s own team
• model examples in the way DMT staff work together
On the scale below, where would you place your programme? What do you need
to do to move up the scale?
Bad practice
Make the
situation
worse
take steps
to avoid
making
things
worse
Neutral
ensure
project
meets
practical
needs
Good practice
seek to
meet
strategic
needs
At a minimum Tearfund DMT programmes should aim to ensure that projects
meet men and women’s practical needs and seek to address strategic needs of
women in an appropriate way.
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Tools
Tools for good practice
3.1 Seven practical steps to becoming gender sensitive
Step 7
Monitor impact on
men and women
Step 6
Encourage and facilitate
participation of women and
children as well as men
Step 5
Ensure Protection for women and
children and avoid increasing
vulnerability
Step 4
Ensure the gender of staff is
appropriate to the activities to
be carried out
Step 3
Identify groups (women, men, and
children) to be targeted; ensuring the
best approach is taken for each
group.
Step 2
Step 1
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Ensure assessments gather
perspectives of women, men and
children
Research and analyse existing
roles and perspectives of men
and women
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Research and analyse existing roles and
perspectives of men and women
Step 1
Understand traditional roles and perspectives of men and women.
Carry out research and analysis in order to understand:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
the traditional roles and responsibilities of men and women
traditional authority structures
traditional barriers to participation
whether these have changed in the crisis
possible forms of violence against women
division of labour and workload
access to/control over resources
See the rapid check list on page 15 may be helpful.
Ensure assessments gather perspectives of
women, men and children
Step 2
Ensure assessments gather the perspectives of women, men and children.
Carry out separate discussions with groups of men, women and children in order
that they can speak freely about their needs, capacities and vulnerabilities.
Female staff members should participate e.g. focus group discussions with
women. Translators for these groups should also be female. Women can be
relatively more invisible in times of crisis and may be more confined to their
homes than normal. A determined effort may be needed to seek out their views
and opinions separately from men.
Example
An assessment was carried out in Eritrea and a women’s group was facilitated by
a woman however only male translators were available and this led to limited
contributions from the women’s group during the assessment.
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Identify groups (women, men and children)
to be targeted for project activities; ensuring the
best approach is taken for each group
Step 3
Identify the appropriate “target groups” for each project activity, whether men or
women, and design the project in an appropriate way for these groups.
In deciding the best methods to deliver messages or provide training, consider
literacy levels of men and women and whether single sex groups or mixed groups
are more appropriate.
In considering the timing of activities and the demands that project activities will
place on people, consider daily routines, time limitations and women’s multiple
roles.
For each sector consider which messages should be targeted towards men and the
best method to do this.
Ensure the gender of staff is appropriate to
the activities to be carried out
Step 4
Consider the appropriate gender of staff members.
Ensure that the gender of staff is appropriate to the activities they are carrying
out (eg. maternal health care).
Provide training where there are gaps in knowledge and skills.
Consider how to provide an overall gender balance on the team, even when
educational levels are a constraint
Ensure Protection for women and children and
avoid increasing vulnerability
Step 5
Ensure project design provides protection for women and children and does not
heighten their vulnerability:
•
•
Sept 2006
Consider the physical environment and the location of project services in
order to offer safety and security from violence (wells, latrines, meeting
places etc), daily routines (day, evening, night activities),
Monitor community attitudes in case there are any unforeseen outcomes of
the project (heightened tensions, jealousies etc).
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Example – see "From camp to community: Liberia Study on Exploitation Children”
Save the Children, 2006
c on exploitation of
Encourage and facilitate participation of
women and children as well as men
Step 6
Find appropriate steps to encourage and facilitate the participation of women,
girls as well as men and boys in project management and wider decision making.
Plan project activities in a way that overcome existing constraints that prevent
women participating and appropriately address women’s strategic needs.
Consider what work can be done to strengthen the partnership of men with
women in their shared responsibilities in the home, workplace, church or place of
worship and community.
Consider how the community structure overseeing the project can be inclusive
(development committee, water committee etc).
Consider how through developing relationships of trust and respect with
beneficiaries, more sensitive or taboo subjects can be discussed
Step 7
Monitor impact on men and women
Monitor the impact of the project on women and men.
Design project indicators which can monitor and measure the impact of the
project on men and on women (‘disaggregated’ data).
Ensure beneficiary statistics and project data records numbers of men, women
and children separately.
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Tools
3.2 Rapid gender relations assessment checklist
The following quick questions are in helping to understand gender relations in a
community:
1. Who does what?
2. How? With what?
3. Who owns what?
4. Who is responsible for what?
5. Who is entitled to what?
6. Who controls what?
7. Who decides what?
8. Who gets what?
9. Who gains and who loses?
10. Why? What is the basis of this situation?
- Activities
- Access to resources
- Ownership of assets
- Obligations
- Claim/Rights
- Income/Spending
- Power
- Distribution
- Redistribution
- Rules/customs/norms
3.3 Outline gender analytical framework: beneficiary groups
This outline gender analytical framework (DFID, Gender Manual, 2002) is
designed to assist brainstorming on gender analytical information needs.
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Case studies illustrating how DMT have addressed
practical and strategic gender needs
4.1 DMT Case study 1: Example of DMT addressing
strategic gender needs in Sierra Leone
The Village Development committee (VDC) in Magbil was set up after Tearfund
had sensitised people through a workshop. There are 10 members (including 3
female members) who are responsible for making decisions in Magbil. The
treasurer Isatu Sesay is a woman and she was chosen by the committee, not only
because she was numerically literate but also because there is a general belief
that women do not squander money at the same rate men do! She is very
transparent and effective in her position and she has served the position for two
years. The project has raised the gender awareness in Magbil Community and
women are now a recognised group in the Community.
The Vice Chair, Kadie Koroma, also a woman said:
“I am happy about my appointment into the VDC, in this way the women’s views
are included in the decisions of the community. We are experiencing the changes
gradually…..”
This is an example of DMT addressing strategic gender needs using a
sensitive and culturally appropriate approach. The workshop focused on
both men and women and the decision for electing Isatu came from the
community – not from Tearfund.
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4.2 DMT Case study 2: Example of challenges DMT
met when addressing practical gender needs in
South Sudan
In Tearfund’s South Sudan nutrition project, in developing the “community-based
therapeutic care” model for therapeutic feeding, Tearfund needed to recruit local
Nutrition Extension Workers (NEWS) to visit mothers in their homes, to follow up
on children who are in the feeding programme and to provide teaching on
breastfeeding and weaning etc.
The team was unable to find local women who spoke English and so recruited
male NEWS in order that they could be sufficiently trained in their role. The team
however found it awkward and inappropriate that men were teaching mothers
about breastfeeding and weaning.
An NGO carrying out the same nutrition approach in the neighbouring district
chose to recruit local women but found it a challenge to train them effectively and
ensure a high quality of work.
In this example DMT prioritised technical knowledge to the detriment of cultural
and gender appropriateness. The other NGO prioritised cultural and gender
appropriateness over technical knowledge. Both approaches are problematic. The
approach of not prioritising cultural gender roles could potentially lead to the
community not accepting DMT’s project. However not prioritising technical
knowledge could lead to erroneous and potentially dangerous health messages
being communicated to beneficiaries.
To address both cultural gender roles and to ensure the NEWS have good
technical knowledge, ways need to be found to have both male and female NEWS
hired and trained to work together. The male NEWS could further train the female
NEWS in the local language and help with the documentation/ record keeping
aspect of the job. The female NEWS could deal directly with the women in the
project.
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4.3 DMT Case study 3: Example of DMT addressing
practical and strategic gender needs in Burundi
Many widows and orphans in Africa are denied their inheritance rights to property
or land which often go to the husband’s brothers or other male relatives instead,
leaving the family homeless and destitute.
Agnes was born in the province of Makamba in Burundi. Her parents were farmers
and lived a peaceful life with their nine children until 1994, when violence began
to sweep through their province. Believing their lives to be in danger, the family
fled with what they could carry into neighbouring Tanzania. Thousands of others
also fled Burundi to live in refugee camps. The family left the camps because of
over crowding and the constant threat of disease. For five years they moved
around, trying to make a living, but then Agnes’ father died. Her mother decided
to return to Burundi where she thought she could find support from her relatives.
In 1999, Agnes’ mother died suddenly. Agnes and her younger brothers and
sisters were forced to find a new place to live. She sought help from her uncles,
but they would not receive or protect them. They had taken her father’s lands and
left nothing for his children.
Desperate, and with nowhere else to go, Agnes looked around for help. A
neighbour offered them an old ruined house next to his farm. Agnes made a roof
for it out of banana leaves and for two years the family lived there, scraping a
living, helped by the kindness of neighbours.
The government of Makamba made some marshland available for cultivation as
part of a Tearfund food security project. People were encouraged to form
agricultural associations where people could work together and support each
other. In 2003, Agnes joined one of these groups, and began to farm. The group
provided her with help and advice, as well as seeds and tools. She was now part
of a positive and supportive network. The group helped Agnes and her family
build a house. They built the walls of brick and used skills within the group to
provide the carpentry. Agnes used money she had earned herself from the sale of
seed to buy doors and windows for the new house.
In 2005, Agnes started income-generating activities to help support her family.
She has now rented more land and hires other people to work it. She continues to
serve her community by being active in the campaign against HIV and AIDS.
Agnes is also taking a leading role in the association’s application to the bank for
loans to increase their productivity.
Agnes is now 21 years old and living a life she could never have dreamed
possible. She was a young girl left destitute and vulnerable with responsibility for
the welfare of her brothers and sisters. She now has property, a little land and a
recognised position within her community. All this is a result of working hard in
partnership with others.
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Section
5
Useful publications and reports
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Tearfund Gender Relief and Development Policy
Gender and development – Oxfam Journal.
Convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women
(1979), Vienna Declaration (1993), Beijing Platform for Action (1995)
Caroline Moser, Gender planning and development: Theory, practice, and
training: Routledge, London, 1993
Gender Works (1999) Eds Fenella Portman, Ines Smyth, Caroline
Sweetman; Oxfam publishing
Elaine Storkey, Created or Constructed? The Great Gender Debate:
Paternoster Press, 2002
Poverty Elimination and the Empowerment of Women: DFID,2000
Helen Derbyshire, DfID Gender Manual:DfID, 2002
‘Rani Parker, Understanding the GAM, Another point of view: A manual for
Gender Analysis Training for Grassroots Workers: UNIFEM, 1993
• Report and scoping study Mandy Marshall and Nigel Taylor,Tearfund:
A new creation? Gender, HIV and AIDS, and the role of the evangelical
Church in Africa: January 2006
Can you hear me now? May-October 2005
Resource people within Tearfund
Mandy Marshall, PDT (Gender and development)
Veena O’Sullivan, PDT (HIV and gender)
Judith Lace, Personnel (Gender and employment issues)
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