What do we mean by gender Gender refers

What do we mean by gender? Gender refers to socially constructed roles, responsibilities, rights, and identities of men and women Women and men undertake different activities because of societal norms and values and beliefs These differ between different cultures and can change over time. 2

Which jobs are done by women, which by men, and how is their work valued? Activities (Examples) Construction work Cleaning Child care Cooking at home Cooking in a restaurant Working in a mine Nursing Repairing cars Farming Sewing Driving a heavy trucks Driving a taxi Electrician Hunting Irrigation Men Women Both 3

Gender and values • Different values are often placed on men and women’s activities • Women’s activities are often valued less than men’s - e. g. “unpaid” activities such as care of the family, water or fuel-wood collection • They are also valued differently economically: very often women are paid less than men for the same job or task 4

Gender and decision-making • How activities are valued will influence how women (or men) can access resources they need for their work. • How activities are valued is closely related to who makes decisions and who benefits from different activities • Men’s voice is generally considered more important than that of women. 5

Gender Gaps: a global perspective on labour • Women account for half of the food production in developing countries. In some African countries, they have to walk 10 kilometres or more to fetch water and fuel. • In India, women provide 75 % of the labour for transplanting and weeding rice, 60% for harvesting, and 33% for threshing. • Women produce, select and save up to 90 percent of seeds and germ plasm that are used as planting material in smallholder agricultures. (See handout 3. 1 for more examples) 6

Gender and natural resource conservation • Are men and women likely to have the same capabilities and opportunities to respond to environmental degradation? • How might forest loss affect women differently from men? Why? • Are women and men similarly affected by biodiversity loss? • Thinking of your own project – how does it affect men and women? 7

Tools and methods for addressing gender in conservation 8

Addressing gender in conservation: General principles • Consult with local women’s organizations to provide input to project decisions • Make activities accessible: it may be difficult for women to leave their homes or duties • Let women’s voices be heard • Hold separate meetings or activities with women (at least in the beginning) • Build women’s capacity 9

Steps to integrate gender in conservation 1. Understand examine gender-based dimensions of the project 2. Adapt and develop project elements and activities 3. Adapt and develop project indicators for monitoring gender integration Source: Conservation International (2015) Guidelines for integrating gender into conservation programming. Online PDF document. . 10

Step 1: Understand examine gender-based dimensions of the project • The collection of information on the different roles of women and men in order to understand how the project is likely to be impacted by gender dimensions. i) an assessment of the project’s structure and institutional capacity ii) exploration of gender norms, roles, values and standards in the specific project context iii) the identification of gender-based constraints and opportunities. Source: Conservation International (2015) Guidelines for integrating gender into conservation programming. Online PDF document. . 11

i) Document the project’s structure and assess institutional capacity Project design • What community members or key informants were consulted and how were they involved in the project design process? • Do documents reference men and women specifically or only “community members”? Project implementation • When and where does the project generally hold meetings? • How does the project communicate information? Source: Conservation International (2015) Guidelines for integrating gender into conservation programming. Online PDF document. . 12

ii) Explore gender norms, roles, values and standards • Who does what? • Who has what? • What is the socio-cultural context? • How will the project impact men and women? Source: Conservation International (2015) Guidelines for integrating gender into conservation programming. Online PDF document. . 13

iii) Identify gender-based constraints and opportunities • Negative or unequal outcomes? • Equal opportunities to benefit? • Barriers (e. g. cultural, social, political) that limit men’s or women’s participation? Source: Conservation International (2015) Guidelines for integrating gender into conservation programming. Online PDF document. . 14

Step 2: Adapt and develop project elements and activities For example: • Consult with local women’s organizations • Develop activities to cater to both men’s and women’s needs • Plan activities for times/seasons when men and women are not engaged in other necessary activities • Make activities accessible (consider household duties, childcare etc. ) Source: Conservation International (2015) Guidelines for integrating gender into conservation programming. Online PDF document. . 15

Step 3: Adapt and develop project indicators for monitoring gender integration • Input indicator: e. g. the amount of money dedicated to training men and women • Process indicator: e. g. the number of trainings held for men and women • Output indicator: e. g. the number of men and women trained • Outcome indicator: e. g. the number of men and women implementing what they learned in the training Source: Conservation International (2015) Guidelines for integrating gender into conservation programming. Online PDF document. . 16

Activity - Gender and conservation in practice, examining case studies • In what ways did gender influence the design, implementation and impact of the initiatives? • What were the lessons for planners, policy makers and project managers? • How has gender affected the implementation and outcomes of conservation / NRM projects you have been involved in? 17

International agreements and policies Many states have committed themselves to promoting gender equality and women’s rights, for example: • The UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) • The Gender Plan of Action under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) • Universal Declaration of Human Rights 18

Engaging men in gender issues • Men affect women’s: o choices o freedom and mobility outside the home o ability to pursue work opportunities o their influence in household decisions • Empowerment for women requires a serious effort to understand support change among men • As women expand their abilities and confidence it can threaten the position of men and their ability to fulfil the demands of manhood. 19

Engaging men: dimensions to their relations with women • Permission • Support • Oppression 20

Engaging men How to engage men more effectively? • Write ideas on a flip chart. • What experiences – both positive and negative – do participants have? 21

Key learning points 1. ‘Gender’ is about what society expects women and men to do, how they are expected to behave, and what rights they have 2. Gender differences between women and men change over time 3. These differences lead to gendered division of labour and responsibilities 4. Women often play key roles in using the natural resources relevant to conservation. Yet, these roles are often valued less compared with those of men – so women’s voices are not heard 5. Power relations between men and women affect rights, access and distribution of resources. Gender inequality represents a huge loss to conservation, with costs for men as well as for women 6. Effective conservation needs women and men to participate in project design and implementation – steps can be taken to ensure a process that is fair to both women and men 7. Gender integration requires understanding and support from men 22