Learning Project: Beyond Gender Mainstreaming

admin Event

From November 2011 to November 2012 Gender & Development ran a major Learning Project on Beyond Gender Mainstreaming, in partnership with the UK Gender and Development Network (GADN).The project involved a conceptual discussion about experience and successes of different approaches to integrating gender and women’s rights into development and humanitarian work. We aimed to distil best practice and innovation, and answer some hard questions.

Beyond Gender Mainstreaming

The term ‘gender mainstreaming’ (GM) spread like wildfire in the wake of the 1995 UN Conference on Women at Beijing, and has been embraced by development institutions, goverments and NGOs of all political hues. What has happened to GM since? This Learning Project will chart the different ways in which GM has been attempted, identify the barriers and challenges, and celebrate the successes. GM has a poor image among many in the international women’s movement. Is this deserved? Many argue that the ideals of gender equality and women’s rights have been distorted in the process of integration of gender issues into the pre-existing mandates, ideologies and procedures of development organisations. Is transformatory gender mainstreaming possible? Does it exist already, and if so, what are the factors which have led to success?

Project components

The project was made up of the following three components.

Eldis Communities Online Discussion, 16-17 November 2011

For a period of forty-eight hours from 16-17 November, fifty invited participants ‘met‟ on Eldis Communities to discuss gender mainstreaming. The discussion was then opened up to anyone to read and contribute.

Download the online discussion synthesis document

Beyond Gender Mainstreaming Learning Workshop, 13-14 February 2012

This two-day workshop brought together gender and development researchers, academics, and activists to map, learn and network about the gender mainstreaming ‘project’ and its impact on women and gender relations.

Workshop videos

Caroline Moser
Professor of Urban Development, University of Manchester

Joanne Sandler
Consultant and Former Deputy Executive Director, UNIFEM

Yiping Cai
Executive Committee Member, DAWN

Aruna Rao
Executive Director, Gender at Work

Gender & Development Special Issue: Beyond Gender Mainstreaming, November 2012

The learning project culminated in a special issue of Gender & Development journal published in November 2012.

Read the Beyond Gender Mainstreaming issue

View more Gender & Development events