Gender-responsive evaluation for a sustainable future for all
Step 2: Setting evaluation criteria
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).
Other evaluation criteria, such as impact, sustainability and equity, are also frequently used in evaluations. These criteria can also be useful for measuring the responsiveness of interventions towards gender and environmental issues.
The GREENA toolkit provides guidance on five EU evaluation criteria, but there are other evaluation criteria that can be suitable in the context of your evaluation.
The criterion of ‘impact’ can help you measure the broader and lasting effects or changes that result from an intervention on gender equality and environmental sustainability, including both intended and unintended impacts, both positive and negative. This often involves looking at changes in behaviour that can be attributed to the intervention.
The criterion of ‘sustainability’ can help you determine whether or not an intervention’s benefits, outcomes and impacts on gender equality and environmental sustainability will be maintained and continued even after the intervention itself has ended. This generally involves examining the resilience of the various elements of the intervention required to maintain the benefits over time, as well as the potential risks and trade-offs.
The criterion of ‘equity’ can help you assess whether or not an intervention’s benefits, outcomes and impacts on gender equality and environmental sustainability have been distributed equally and fairly between different groups of women and men and among different ecosystems. It typically involves considering the extent to which the intervention has taken into account the diverse experiences, needs and interests of different stakeholders, particularly disadvantaged groups of women and men, and promoted inclusive action.
While it is essential to revise these evaluation criteria to integrate a gender perspective, you may also wish to introduce standalone criteria on gender equality as this can help you to achieve a detailed assessment of the gender aspects of the intervention.