Step 11: Assess the long-term impacts of training at the individual, organisational and societal level

Further on, an evaluation of the impact of gender competence development activities should be carried out. This requires revisiting the aims, objectives, rationale, inputs and outputs of the programme and exploring the extent to which the initiative had the desired long-term impact.

An impact evaluation examines the deeper changes that have resulted from the implementation of the gender competence development initiative, at the individual, organisational and, if possible, wider societal level.

This exercise aims to assess the long-lasting effects of the gender competence development initiatives on participants’ skills and the organisation’s functioning. It also examines how the acquired gender knowledge and expertise has been transferred to the organisation and society in general. Most of the time, impact evaluations are carried out by independent expert evaluators.

Checklist: what can comissioning authorities do to assess the impact

  • Assess participants’ knowledge after the training on a regular basis by, for example, circulating an e-survey after some months

  • Verify if the language and organisation documents have been gendered; and if this persists over time

  • Use gender impact assessment tools to assess the gender dimension of programmes and activities that the organisation intends to carry out

  • Integrate a gender perspective into other evaluation procedures