GENDER EQUALITY AND
GENDER EQUALITYAND FEMALEEMPOWERMENTPOLICYUSAID POLICYMARCH 2012
“Achieving our objectives for globaldevelopment will demand acceleratedefforts to achieve gender equality andwomen’s empowerment. Otherwise,peace and prosperity will have theirown glass ceiling.”Hillary ClintonJANUARY 2012
USAIDGENDER EQUALITY ANDFEMALE EMPOWERMENTPOLICYMARCH 2012WASHINGTON, DCi
Photo credits: Cover (clockwise from top left):West Bank and Gaza Mission:Technical,Vocational and Education TrainingProgram/USAID;The Hunger Project; Unilever Tea Tanzania, Limited (UTTL); page 5,The Hunger Project; page 18,WestBank and Gaza Mission:Technical,Vocational and Education Training Program/USAID; page 20, Karen Homer/AWARD.ii
USAID Policy on Gender Equality and Female EmpowermentTable of ContentsTABLE OF CONTENTSMessage from the Administrator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ivExecutive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32. A Global Snapshot of Gender Equality and Female Empowerment in 2012 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63. USAID’s Vision and Goal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104. Outcomes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105. Operational Principles of the Gender Equality and Female Empowerment Policy . . . . . . . . . 116. Organizational Roles and Responsibilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157. Agency Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19iii
USAID Policy on Gender Equality and Female EmpowermentMessage from the AdministratorMESSAGE FROM THEADMINISTRATORI am pleased to share with you our newly updated policy onGender Equality and Female Empowerment. Designed toenhance women’s empowerment and reduce gender gaps, thepolicy affirms the critical role women play in acceleratingprogress in development and advancing global prosperity andsecurity. As Secretary Clinton has said,“Gender equality is boththe right thing to do and the smart thing to do.”The policy comes at a critical time as global efforts to reducegender gaps have met only partial success. Across every devel opment priority worldwide—from education to economicinclusion—gender inequality remains a significant challenge.Building on the Agency’s decades of experience, the new policyprovides guidance on pursuing more effective, evidence basedinvestments in gender equality and female empowerment andincorporating these efforts into our core development pro gramming. Ultimately, this integration is critical to achievingbetter results in development.Under this policy, we place a strong emphasis on building high impact partnerships, harnessing the power of innovation andconducting rigorous program evaluation to deliver meaningfulresults. We will remain focused on protecting women and menfrom violence and abuse, as well as increasing the participationof women at all levels of decision making, especially duringpeace processes and post conflict reconstruction. Finally, wemust ensure that the composition of our own Agency reflectsour principles, creating a work environment that empowersand rewards women and men fully and equitably.Already, we have established a solid foundation to accelerateprogress. We have strengthened requirements to ensure thatevery strategy and project is shaped by a gender analysis andestablishes common indicators for judging our success. Drivingthis agenda forward, USAID’s Senior Coordinator for GenderivEquality and Women’s Empowerment is working closely withthe Senior Gender Advisor in the Bureau for Policy, Planningand Learning, the re invigorated Office of Gender Equality andWomen’s Empowerment, and gender advisors in Washingtonand field missions.We know that long term, sustainable development will only bepossible when women and men enjoy equal opportunity torise to their potential. But today, women and girls continue toface disadvantages in every sector in which we work, and—inother cases—boys are falling behind. With this policy, we canensure our values and commitments are reflected in durable,meaningful results for all. I look forward to working with all ofyou to ensure an enduring and substantial commitment to gen der equality and female empowerment.Rajiv ShahMarch 2012
USAID Policy on Gender Equality and Female EmpowermentExecutive SummaryEXECUTIVE SUMMARYGender equality and female empowerment are core devel opment objectives, fundamental for the realization of humanrights and key to effective and sustainable development out comes. No society can develop successfully withoutproviding equitable opportunities, resources, and lifeprospects for males and females so that they can shape theirown lives and contribute to their families and communities.Although many gender gaps have narrowed over the pasttwo decades, substantial inequalities remain across all sectorsin which USAID works, particularly in low income and con flict affected countries and among disadvantaged groups.USAID has a long history of supporting programming toincrease gender equality. Over the past two years alone,changes to the Automated Directives System (ADS), revisedtechnical competencies required for Foreign Service back stops, new definitions of gender issues for budget attribution,new senior positions devoted exclusively to gender equalityand female empowerment, and new common indicators tomeasure progress in this arena have strengthened theAgency’s ability to address key gender issues and track ourprogress in doing so. Still, an updated Agency policy on gen der equality and female empowerment is needed to reflectfundamental changes in the world and the evidence that hasaccumulated since the 1982 Policy Paper on Women inDevelopment was issued. This new policy on Gender Equal ity and Female Empowerment builds on the Agency’sprogress to date.The goal of this policy is to improve the lives of citizensaround the world by advancing equality between femalesand males, and empowering women and girls to participatefully in and benefit from the development of their societies. Itwill be addressed through integration of gender equality andfemale empowerment throughout the Agency’s ProgramCycle and related processes: in strategic planning, projectdesign and implementation, and monitoring and evaluation.This integrated approach positions the Agency to addressgender gaps and the constraints that hold women back.Under this policy, USAID investments are aimed at threeoverarching outcomes. In strategic planning at the country orproject level, these outcomes will be adapted and translatedinto specific results with associated targets and indicators.These outcomes, which are especially important for peoplewho are marginalized or excluded due to ethnicity, genderidentity, sexual orientation, lack of income, disability or otherfactors, reflect the gamut of activities that USAID undertakesacross multiple sectors and fields: Reduce gender disparities in access to, control over andbenefit from resources, wealth, opportunities and serv ices economic, social, political, and cultural;Reduce gender based violence and mitigate its harmfuleffects on individuals and communities; andIncrease capability of women and girls to realize theirrights, determine their life outcomes, and influencedecision making in households, communities, and soci eties.Seven guiding principles underpin this policy, reflecting keyfeatures of the USAID Policy Framework 2011 2015 and theparameters of the USAID Forward reform agenda: Integrate gender equality and female empower ment into USAID’s work: This policy will beimplemented by integrating approaches and actions toadvance gender equality and female empowermentthroughout the Agency’s Program Cycle. USAID willalso make strategic investments to promote genderequality and female empowerment.1
Executive Summary 2Pursue an inclusive approach to foster equality:This policy is inclusive of all women and men, girls andboys, regardless of age, sexual orientation, gender iden tity, disability status, religion, ethnicity, socioeconomicstatus, geographic area, migratory status, forced dis placement or HIV/AIDS status.Build partnerships across a wide range of stake holders: USAID will partner with host governments,civil society, the private sector and other donors toensure that our efforts are coordinated and non duplicative, build on the skills and initiatives of localactors, and reflect country priorities.Harness science, technology, and innovation toreduce gender gaps and empower women andgirls: USAID investments should make bold andimaginative use of new technologies to change dis criminatory social norms and stereotypes, andempower women and girls to wield greater influencein society.Address the unique challenges in crisis and con flict affected environments: USAID’s work inconflict affected and fragile states should promotewomen’s participation in all efforts to prevent, resolveand rebuild following conflict; prevent and respond tosexual and gender based violence; and ensure thatrelief and recovery efforts address the different needsand priorities of women and men.Serve as a thought leader and a learningcommunity: The Agency will measure performancein closing key gender gaps and empowering womenand girls, learn from successes and failures and dissemi nate best practices on gender integration throughoutthe Agency.Hold ourselves accountable: Gender equality andfemale empowerment is a shared Agency responsibil ity and depends on the contribution and collectivecommitment of all staff, with particular emphasis onsenior managers and Mission Directors.USAID Policy on Gender Equality and Female EmpowermentThis policy applies to all bureaus and missions and coverspolicy and programmatic operations in Washington and thefield. The policy includes detailed descriptions of organiza tional roles and responsibilities to institutionalize the policy inmissions, regional bureaus, pillar bureaus, the Office of Gen der Equality and Women’s Empowerment, the Office ofAcquisition and Assistance, the Office of Human Resources,the Bureau for Policy, Planning and Learning, and the Officeof the Administrator. The release of the policy will be fol lowed by Frequently Asked Questions and ImplementationGuidance, including a timetable for phasing in the require ments over the next two years. Implementation of thepolicy will be evaluated in 2015.Realization of this policy by all Agency staff and in all of thecountries in which we work will help to bring to fruitionUSAID’s development vision of a world in which women andmen, girls and boys enjoy economic, social, cultural, civil, andpolitical rights and are equally empowered to secure betterlives for themselves, their families, and their communities.
USAID Policy on Gender Equality and Female Empowerment1IntroductionINTRODUCTIONGender equality and female empowerment are nowuniversally recognized as core development objectives,fundamental for the realization of human rights, and keyto effective and sustainable development outcomes.1No society can develop sustainably without increasing andtransforming the distribution of opportunities, resources, andchoices for males and females so that they have equal powerto shape their own lives and contribute to their communi ties. A growing body of research demonstrates thatsocieties with greater gender equality experience faster eco nomic growth, and benefit from greater agriculturalproductivity and improved food security. Empoweringwomen to participate in and lead public and private institu tions makes these institutions more representative andeffective. Increasing girls’ and women’s education and accessto resources improves the health and education of the nextgeneration. Women also play critical roles as effective peaceadvocates, community leaders, and champions of civil andhuman rights.The 2010 Quadrennial Diplomacy and DevelopmentReview (QDDR), prepared jointly by the State Departmentand USAID, placed women at the center of U.S. diplomacyand development — not simply as beneficiaries, but also asagents of peace, reconciliation, development, growth, and sta bility. The first operational principle in the USAID PolicyFramework 2011 2015 is “Promote Gender Equality andFemale Empowerment.” This policy on Gender Equality andBOX 1:DEFINITIONSGender equality2 concerns women and men, and itinvolves working with men and boys, women and girlsto bring about changes in attitudes, behaviors, roles andresponsibilities at home, in the workplace, and in thecommunity. Genuine equality means more than parityin numbers or laws on the books; it means expandingfreedoms and improving overall quality of life so thatequality is achieved without sacrificing gains for males orfemales.Female empowerment3 is achieved when womenand girls acquire the power to act freely, exercise theirrights, and fulfill their potential as full and equal membersof society. While empowerment often comes fromwithin, and individuals empower themselves, cultures,societies, and institutions create conditions that facilitateor undermine the possibilities for empowerment.Gender integration involves identifying, and thenaddressing, gender inequalities during strategy and proj ect design, implementation, and monitoring andevaluation. Since the roles and power relationsbetween men and women affect how an activity isimplemented, it is essential that project managersaddress these issues on an ongoing basis.1These commitments have been codified in the Beijing Platform for Action signed in 1995 at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China, the Millennium Development Goals adopted by 189governments in 2000, UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security (as well as subsequent related resolutions 1820, 1888, 1889, and 1960) and embodied in the Universal Declarationof Human Rights, among myriad other international treaties and declarations.2Sex is the classification of people as male or female. At birth, infants are assigned a sex based on a combination of bodily characteristics including: chromosomes, hormones, internal reproductive organs and gen italia. Gender is the socially defined set of roles, rights, responsibilities, entitlements, and obligations of females and males in societies.The social definitions of what it means to be female or male vary among culturesand change over time. Gender Identity is an individual’s internal, personal sense of being male or female. For transgender people, their birth assigned sex and their own internal sense of gender identity do not match.3This policy deliberately uses the term “female” empowerment, as opposed to women’s empowerment, to capture girls and adolescents.This differs from the organizational titles of USAID’s Office of GenderEquality and Women’s Empowerment, some Position Descriptions and usage in other USAID program and budget documents.3
IntroductionFemale Empowerment seeks to codify and operationalizethese principles across USAID policies and practices.USAID’s Experience Addressing GenderEquality and Female EmpowermentWhile USAID has a long history of addressing women’sissues in development, accomplishments have been mixedand the intensity of the focus on gender issues has variedover time. In 1974, soon after passage of the 1973 PercyAmendment to the Foreign Assistance Act, USAID estab lished the Women in Development (WID) Office to assistUSAID missions and regional bureaus in integrating womeninto their various development projects.4 A “Women inDevelopment” Policy Paper was issued in 1982. It was sup plemented in 1996 by a Gender Plan of Action (GPA) thatincluded requirements for gender integration in policy, per sonnel, procurement, performance monitoring, andevaluation. An evaluation of the Plan in 2000 by the Advi sory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Assistance (ACVFA)found a number of obstacles to effective institutionalizationof the GPA, including large budget cuts coupled withexpanding budget earmarks, disruptions caused by reorgani zation of U.S. foreign assistance agencies, low levels ofconsultation and communication about the Plan with Agencystaff, and concern over proliferation of Agency priorities,among others.Although few analyses have been carried out that allow forprecise quantification of progress, one such analysis5 revealedmodest increases in the extent to which gender issues wereintegrated into country strategies over the period 1996 2005 and into procurement solicitations from May 2006 toFebruary 2007. A second analysis of procurements6 docu mented an improvement in the percentage of solicitationsissued in 2010 that were scored as “moderate” to “thor ough” on gender integration, as compared to 2006/7, and adecrease in the percentage of solicitations over the sametime period that received the lowest possible score(“minimal”).USAID Policy on Gender Equality and Female EmpowermentRecently, greater progress has been made in integrating gen der issues into Agency strategies, programs and procedures.In 2009, USAID revised its Automated Directives System(ADS), which contains Agency policy directives and manda tory procedures, to establish a more comprehensiveapproach to gender integration. Gender analysis is one ofonly two mandatory analysis requirements that are to beintegrated in strategic planning, project design and approval,procurement processes, and measurement and evaluation. In2011, the Agency reviewed and revised the technical compe tencies for different Foreign Service backstops to ensure thatthey reflect the knowledge, skills, and abilities that will beneeded by technical officers to effectively address genderissues in their work. The Agency also introduced new defini tions of gender issues for budget attributions in OperationalPlans, along with a set of common indicators designed toBOX 2:FOSTERINGWOMEN’S LEADERSHIPIn 2011, USAID significantly expanded efforts to sup port women’s leadership in several fields. Anticipatingrelease of the U.S. National Action Plan on Women,Peace and Security, USAID provided financial supportto meet the training, transportation, and securityneeds of female negotiators, and allocated funds tosupport the inclusion of women in high level decision making processes, including formal peace negotiations,donor conferences, and transitional politicalprocesses. Complementary programs were created tocultivate women leaders in business, academia, andresearch; strengthen the skills of female legislators andlegislative branch staff; foster women’s leadershipwithin social protection; and elevate women’s leader ship in the small and medium sized enterprise sector.4The Percy Amendment, which is still in effect, requires U.S. bilateral assistance programs to enhance the integration of women into the national economies of developing countries, and instructs theState Department to consider progress on women’s issues when making decisions about funding international organizations.5DevTech, Measuring Gender Integration in USAID Planning and Procurement,” July 2007 (unpublished).6DevTech, Measuring Gender Integration in USAID Solicitation Documents Issued in 2010, February 2011(unpublished).4
USAID Policy on Gender Equality and Female Empowermentassess progress toward increasing gender equality and femaleempowerment (see Box 6). The Office of the Administratorand the Bureau for Policy, Planning and Learning (PPL) cre ated two senior positions devoted exclusively to genderequality and female empowerment; the Office of GenderEquality and Women’s Empowerment was renamed andupgraded; and the Bureau of Democracy, Conflict, andHumanitar
Gender Equality and Female Empowerment. Designed to enhance women’s empowerment and reduce gender gaps, the policy affirms the critical role women play in accelerating progress in development and advancing global prosperity and security. As Secretary Clinton has said,“Gender equality is both the right thing to do and the smart thing to do.”
public sector equality duty came into force on 5 April 2011. There are five England/GB guides giving advice on the duty: 1. The essential guide to the public sector equality duty 2. Equality objectives and the equality duty 3. Equality information and the equality duty 4. Meeting the equality duty in policy and decision-making 5.
accessible and diverse gender information. It is one of a family of knowledge services based at IDS . Other recent publications in the Cutting Edge Pack series: Gender and Care, 2009 Gender and Indicators, 2007 Gender and Sexuality, 2007 Gender and Trade, 2006 Gender and Migration, 2005 Gender and ICTs, 2004 . 6.3.1 Gender mainstreaming .
to the development of an institutional gender equality plan. The template guides partners through the main stages of a gender equality plan and provides a template for the creation of an action plan based on the SAGE wheel model. The gender equality plan template
social justice movement to achieve gender equality. Religion and Gender Equality— The State of Play The relationship between religion and gender equality is a complex one. Religion plays a vital role in shaping cultural, social, economic, and political norms in many parts of the world. Similarly, gender roles and the status of women
8 2018 : Gender Equality and Womens Voice Guidance Note Our theory of change is based on CARE’s experience that achieving gender equality and women’s voice requires transformative change. CARE’s theory of change for gender equality and women’s voice work is outlined in the Gender Equality Framework (GEF) above and the graphic below. 7
GENDER EQUALITY GLOBAL REPORT & RANKING - 2022 EDITION 5 INTRODUCTION I am proud to publish our 2022 Gender Equality Global Report and Ranking. As the first organisation anywhere to formally measure gender equality in the global workplace, our fifth year is a good moment to reflect on progress but also to call out how much further there is to go.
keywords: gender identity bill - gender identity - gender discrimination – equality - human rights - european union law - national law. malta’s gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics act – a shift from a binary gender to a whole new spectrum?
CARE International in Mali is pleased to share research conducted on men, gender equality and gender relations in Mali. This report provides a summary of key findings using the International Men and Gender Equality Survey (IMAGES). !! For the past 38 years, CARE has been contributing to national
