Gender-responsive evaluation for a sustainable future for all

Interventions can have numerous gender impacts. This step includes some questions to help you identify and assess the relevant gender impacts around six key dimensions. For the full list of questions, click here. Participation in the labour market and economy How is control over assets distributed among women and men in the policy area of the intervention under evaluation? Participation...

Involving women and men who are affected by an intervention (citizens, civil society, researchers, etc.) in the design, planning and implementation of its evaluation is key to a gender-responsive evaluation process. Key questions to ask when conducting a stakeholder analysis – for the intervention Who are the key stakeholders involved in the intervention, and what were their roles? Who are...

Mixed methods are key to gender-responsive evaluations. This means that you should aim to combine quantitative and qualitative data collection methods. Commonly used data collection methods, such as desk research, surveys, interviews, and consultations, can be used in evaluations to address gender equality. To ensure that your standard data collection methods integrate gender equality and environmental concerns, you can use...

Employing an (eco)feminist and transformative approach to an evaluation highlights the connections between social, environmental and gender equality aspects. It seeks to address and challenge the hierarchies and structural power imbalances that cause gender inequalities and exploit nature. Step 1 Familiarise yourself with the core principles and concepts of (eco)feminism. Click here to review the core principles of gender-responsive evaluations...

A gender-responsive approach can be adapted to varying requirements to prepare the evaluation matrix. Although each institution requesting an evaluation may have its own templates and requirements, Tool #46 from the EU’s 'Better Regulation' toolbox on ‘designing the evaluation’ can help you design and harmonise the evaluation matrix. Click to see examples of evaluation matrices that show the operationalisation of...

After formulating gender-responsive evaluation questions, the evaluation team needs to design appropriate indicators. Impact assessments and ex- ante evaluations of EU spending programmes typically define a set of indicators for monitoring and evaluating their performance in achieving their intended objectives. [1] Although these indicators often form the basis for the ex-post evaluation, you can add other indicators to ensure that...

Once the evaluation criteria have been defined, the evaluation team should develop corresponding evaluation questions. It is essential that gender-responsive evaluation questions are included in as many criteria as possible, as using a single criterion may not provide a complete picture of the situation. Below, you can find some examples of gender evaluation subquestions in the context of the green...

The 'Better regulation' guidelines require that all evaluations and fitness checks base their analysis on the evaluation criteria of effectiveness, efficiency, coherence and relevance, and the EU-added value of the intervention. [1] These standard evaluation criteria offer entry points for integrating gender considerations into evaluations because the same criteria are used by all evaluations within the EU (and, largely, worldwide)...

Before you start, it is important to familiarise yourself with the logic of the intervention being evaluated. Evaluations often need to reconstruct the logic of the intervention or theory of change, either because it was not explicitly stated or because it has proven to be weak. In some cases, this reconstruction also includes integrating gender considerations, especially if these have...

Below are some key elements you should consider when incorporating gender expertise into the terms of reference of an evaluation. Subject matter This should be defined in a gender-sensitive way. For example, in a contract for evaluating mobility services, the subject matter could explicitly refer to gender differences about journey types and the use of public transport. The contract's title...

An evaluation team should include a diverse group of women and men with different perspectives. If you answer NO to any of the questions in the checklist, you should try and close those gaps in expertise. Consider making your evaluation team diverse in terms of gender, cultural background and geographical representation. Is the evaluation team gender balanced and culturally and...

Begin by raising awareness Use your internal communication platform to raise awareness about gender concerns adn integrate them into evaluations. Emphasise their importance and potential benefits, such as: improved policy effectiveness; increased accountability and transparency; enhanced institutional reputation; relevance to institutional goals and commitments. Identify allies Seek out support in different teams within your institution to promote gender-responsive evaluation. Engage...