Women’s Empowerment Strategic Impact Inquiry (SII)
Metaevaluation Analytic Guide
Analyst Instructions
1. Read the Women’s Empowerment SII Research Framework Briefing before starting. It
summarizes some key definitions as well as how we are conceptualizing
empowerment in the context of this impact research. Critical to your role as analyst is
not necessarily that you agree with all of these definitions or conceptualizations but
that you understand them and can use them for your analysis.
2. If you have questions about the research framework email them to either Kent
(kglenzer@care.org) or Jim (rugh@care.org). Please feel free to call either one of us,
too, at either (001) 404-979-9276 (Kent) or (001) 865-908-3133 (Jim).
3. Read through the Metaevaluation Analytic Guide. If you have questions about the
guide email them to either Kent or Jim, or give us a call.
4. Once you feel confident that you understand the research framework and the analytic
guide, set them both to the side and simply read your assigned evaluation(s) straight
through. You are trying to familiarize yourself with the document and its content before
analysis starts.
5. If you are reviewing more than one evaluation, you will need to complete a separate
analytical guide for each. Print a hard copy of the analytic guide and spread the pages
out in front of you so that you can see all the questions at once. Have an electronic
copy of the guide open on your computer. Start rereading the evaluation document
(either hard copy or on screen) and, as you find data that are pertinent to questions,
copy the actual words/sentences/passages to the appropriate table cell in the
electronic version of the analytic guide. (If the question requires simply a yes/no
answer, or asks you to check certain items, then you should do so.) When you do
such copying, please include a page number reference for the copied passage.
6. If there is simply no evidence/data for certain questions, simply write “no data” in the
space provided. If at any time you have doubts about where or not data exists,
whether or not you should include certain data, please feel free to use Jim/Kent
as a sounding board. Send an email pointing us to the particular passage/page
number that you are not sure how to interpret, remind us of the specific
evaluation you are working on, and we will try to give you some advice.
7. Try to complete the analytic guide all in one sitting: the more you spread the analysis
out over multiple days/sessions, the less consistent you will be.
8. Not Required: If you do have the time and inclination, put aside your first analysis for a
few days, then rerun the analysis without looking at your first version. When done,
compare your first analysis with your second and resolve any discrepancies between
the two trials.
9. When done, please email your analysis to both Jim and Kent.
Please submit your analysis by May 20. The timing is crucial as we will need to
undertake a synthesis of all your work before the global SII synthesis workshop
in London in Mid-June. That synthesis will be sent to all of you who participated
in this.
Short Analytical Guide for SII metaevaluations
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Women’s Empowerment Strategic Impact Inquiry (SII)
Metaevaluation Analytic Guide
Project Descriptive Information
Country
Name of project
Dates project operated
Date of evaluation
Author(s) of evaluation report
Project’s donor(s)
Short summary description of
project (cut and paste if possible)
Short description of evaluation
purpose and methodology (cut
and paste if possible)
Extent to which women
participated in the evaluation
process (cut and paste if
possible)
Short Analytical Guide for SII metaevaluations
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Women’s Empowerment Strategic Impact Inquiry (SII)
Metaevaluation Analytic Guide
Part 1: Project Goals, Objectives, Client Groups, and Key Definitions (for any question below for which
there is no data in the evaluation, simply write “not available”
1.1 Do goals/objectives specifically reflect a focus
on women’s empowerment or gender inequity?
YES/NO (select one)
1.1.a If you answered “yes” to 1.1, please block
copy the goals/objectives in the cell to the right 
1.2 Does the project disaggregate client groups
(“target populations”) by gender?
YES/NO (select one)
1.3 Does the project disaggregate the category
“women”?
YES/NO (select one)
1.3.a If you answered “yes” to 1.3, please describe
the nature of this disaggregation in the space to the
right (cut and paste if possible; remember to
include a page reference)
1.4 How did the project conceptualize “power”?
(cut and paste if possible; remember to include
a page reference; “Not available” is a possible
response)
1.5 How did the project conceptualize
“empowerment”? (cut and paste if possible;
remember to include a page reference; “Not
available” is a possible response)
1.6 How did the project conceptualize “gender”?
(cut and paste if possible; remember to include
a page reference; “Not available” is a possible
response)
1.7 How did the project conceptualize “gender
inequity”? (cut and paste if possible; remember
to include a page reference; “Not available” is a
possible response)
1.8 How did the project conceptualize “gender
inequality”? (cut and paste if possible; remember
to include a page reference; “Not available” is a
possible response)
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Part 2: Strategies and Interventions (for any question below for which there is no data in the evaluation, simply write “not
available”
2.1 What broad strategies, interventions, and/or approaches
were deployed by the project in order to have an impact on
women’s empowerment and/or gender inequity? (cut and
paste if possible; remember to include a page reference;
“not available” is a possible response)
2.2 Did the project make use of women’s associations,
groups, or organizations?
YES/NO (select one)
2.2.a Summarize how the project made use of women’s
associations, groups, or organizations in order to
advance women’s empowerment or gender equity. (cut
and paste if possible; remember to include a page
reference; “not available” is a possible response)
2.3 Which, if any, of the 23 sub-dimensions of women’s empowerment do strategies, approaches, and
interventions address? (Check all that apply)
Sub-Dimension
Place an “X” here if
addressed
Notes (cut and paste if possible; remember to
include a page reference)
Self image/self esteem
A
G
E
N
C
Y
Information/skills
Educational attainment
Employment
Mobility in public space
Group membership/ activism
Material assets owned
Legal/rights awareness
Body health/ integrity
S
T
R
U
C
T
U
R
E
R
E
L
A
T
I
O
N
S
Marriage/Kinship rules & roles
Inclusive & equitable notions
of citizenship
Transparent information &
access to services
Enforceability of rights, access
to justice
Market accessibility
(labor/credits/goods)
Political representation
Share of state budgets
Density of civil society
representation
Consciousness of self / others
as inter-dependent
Negotiation/ Accommodation
habits
Alliance/Coalition habits
Pursuit / acceptance of
accountability
New social forms
2.4 Does the project address dimensions of women’s
empowerment that are not captured in the 23
dimensions from the global framework?
2.4.a If you answered “yes” to question 2.4, what are
these other dimensions? cut and paste if possible;
remember to include a page reference
Short Analytical Guide for SII metaevaluations
YES/NO (select one)
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Part 3: Impacts (for any question below for which there is no data in the evaluation, simply write “not available”
3.1 Does the evaluation indicate that a gender
analysis was done at any time in the life of the
YES/NO (select one)
project?
3.1.a If you answered “Yes” to 3.1, how was this
analysis done? (cut and paste if possible;
remember to include a page reference; “not
available” is a possible response)
3.2 Does the evaluation indicate that any form of
analysis of power relations was done at any time in
YES/NO (select one)
the life of the project?
3.2.a If you answered “Yes” to 3.2, how was this
analysis done? (cut and paste if possible;
remember to include a page reference; “not
available” is a possible response)
3.3 Are there stated indicators of impact on
women’s empowerment or gender inequity?
YES/NO (select one)
3.3.a If you answered “Yes” to 3.3: please list the
indicators along with any definitions/explanations of
them that you find in the evaluation (cut and paste
if possible; remember to include a page
reference; “not available” is a possible
response)
3.3.b What, if any, impact does the evaluation
claim that CARE had on women’s empowerment or
gender inequity? (cut and paste if possible;
remember to include a page reference; “not
available” is a possible response)
3.4 Are there tangible outcomes related to
empowerment or improving structures or relations
of gender inequity?
3.4.a If you answered “Yes” to 3.4: please list
these outcomes (cut and paste if possible;
remember to include a page reference)
3.5 Were there unintended, negative impacts on
women, women’s empowerment, or gender
inequity?
3.5.a If you answered “Yes” to 3.5: please
describe these unintended, negative impacts (cut
and paste if possible; remember to include a
page reference
Short Analytical Guide for SII metaevaluations
Please try to be as specific as possible, up to
an including #s of women affected:
YES/NO (select one)
Please try to be as specific as possible, up to
an including #s of women affected, quantitative
output/outcome data, etc:
YES/NO (select one)
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Part 4: CI Programming Principles (for any question below for which there is no data in the evaluation, simply write “not
available”
4.1 To what extent did the project enact CI Programming Principles in support of women’s empowerment or
having a positive influence on structures and relations of gender inequity? (cut and paste if possible;
remember to include a page reference; “not available” is a possible response)
Promote Empowerment - We stand in solidarity
with poor and marginalized people, and support their
efforts to take control of their own lives and fulfil their
rights, responsibilities and aspirations. We ensure
that key participants and organisations representing
affected people are partners in the design,
implementation, monitoring and evaluation of our
programmes
Work with Partners -We work with others to
maximise the impact of our programs, building
alliances and partnerships with those who offer
complementary approaches, are able to adopt
effective programming approaches on a larger scale,
and/or who have responsibility to fulfil rights and
reduce poverty through policy change and
enforcement
Ensure Accountability and Promote
Responsibility - We seek ways to be held
accountable to poor and marginalized people whose
rights are denied. We identify individuals and
institutions with an obligation toward poor and
marginalized people, and support and encourage
their efforts to fulfil their responsibilities
Address Discrimination - In our programs and
offices we address discrimination and the denial of
rights based on sex, race, nationality, ethnicity,
class, religion, age, physical ability, caste, opinion or
sexual orientation
Promote the non-violent resolution of conflicts We promote just and non-violent means for
preventing and resolving conflicts at all levels, noting
that such conflicts contribute to poverty and the
denial of rights
Seek Sustainable Results - As we address
underlying causes of poverty and rights denial, we
develop and use approaches that ensure our
programmes result in lasting and fundamental
improvements in the lives of the poor and
marginalized with whom we work
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Part 5: Internal GED and External Impacts (for any question below for which there is no data in the evaluation, simply
write “not available”
5.1 What, if anything, did the project do to address
women’s empowerment and/or gender equity and
diversity dynamics inside of CARE itself? (cut and
paste if possible; remember to include a page
reference; “not available” is a possible response
5.2 Did the evaluation uncover any links or
relationships between gender equity and diversity
dynamics inside CARE and the project’s impacts on
the women it worked with?
5.2.a If you answered “Yes” to 5.2, what were these
links? (cut and paste if possible; remember to
include a page reference; “not available” is a
possible response)
Short Analytical Guide for SII metaevaluations
YES/NO (select one)
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Annex I: Definitions1
a.
b.
c.
(Agency question) What evidence is there that CARE’s programs support the
expansion of women’s capabilities to identify, pursue, and achieve their basic
needs and rights?
(Structure question) What evidence is there that CARE’s programs promote a
more responsive and equitable enabling environment, as embodied in cultural
norms, legal and policy frameworks, economic and market forces, etc?
(Relational question) What evidence is there that CARE’s programs promoted
greater awareness and practices of interdependence and mutuality of rights
and responsibilities between women and the key people and institutions they
engage with in pursuit of their needs and rights?
Annex II: Women ‘s Empowerment SII Evidence Categories
Dimensions of Empowerment and
Equity
Agency-based
 Psychological
 Legal
 Socio-cultural
 Political
 Organizational
 Productive / Economic
 Human / body
Structural
 Cultural
 Legal / Judicial
 Market/Economic
 Political
 Bureaucratic
 Organizational
Relational
 appreciation
 flexibility
 cooperation
 accountability
1
Sub-Dimensions
(13 proposed “core” evidence categories are highlighted)
1. Self-image; self-esteem
2. Legal / rights awareness
3. Information / skills
4. Educational attainment
5. Employment / control of labor
6. Mobility in public space
7. Decision influence in household finance & child-rearing
8. Group membership / activism
9. Material assets owned
10. Body health / integrity
11. Marriage/Kinship rules & roles
12. Inclusive & equitable notions of citizenship
13. Transparent information & access to services
14. Enforceability of rights, access to justice
15. Market accessibility (labor/credits/goods)
16. Political representation
17. Share of state budgets
18. Density of civil society representation
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
Consciousness of self / others as inter-dependent
Negotiation/ Accommodation habits
Alliance/Coalition habits
Pursuit / acceptance of accountability
New social forms
See full Women’s Empowerment SII Framework for more thorough definitions.
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