Mainstreaming Gender a st ea g Ge dein the CPWF

Basin Leader Meeting, Vientiane, January 20, 2011, Amy Sullivan, y , , y

Plan

We are going to talk about:g g

• Why is gender such a sensitive topic?• How did it get onto the development agenda?• How did it get onto the development agenda?• How are we going to handle it in the CPWF and BDCs?• Are we ready to mainstream it?

What is Gender?

Gender is our assumptions about what men and women doGender is our assumptions about what men and women do

despite overwhelming visual, physical, or scientific evidence

to the contrary. It is one way we organize the world in our minds.

Let’s talk about sex

What is Gender?

• Gender is NOT women• Gender is NOT biology• Gender is NOT human rights in development• Gender is NOT a western ideal

• Gender IS the socially constructed differences between the roles/expectations of men and womenthe roles/expectations of men and women

• Gender IS girls playing with dolls and boys riding bikes• Gender IS men selling crops and women feeding families

• Gender is NOT determined by biology—it is what societies or cultures or groups expect men and women to do. g p p

Gender in the developing world

• Women grow over 70% of the food produced in Africa• Women are minority property owners, water rights holders• Women responsible for child care and family welfare• Women touch the water used by householdsWomen touch the water used by households

• Women have to ask others’ permission for access• Women rarely have secure tenure or inheritance rights• Women rarely have secure tenure or inheritance rights• Women often do not control the proceeds of their work • Women get less attention from research and extension

Why Gender in the BDCs?

• Because we do not recognize it and the role it plays

• We cannot say—with certainty—who does what in the basinsbasins

• We do know that women play significant roles in rural livelihoods that vary considerably w/in & across basins

• We cannot make recommendations without knowing who• We cannot make recommendations without knowing who is responsible for the task/resource/activity

• We cannot develop technologies, guidelines or suites of interventions without knowing about access, control and tenure

• We know that gender CAN be driver of system changeg y g

What is mainstreaming

• Efficiency, Equity, Empowermenty q y p• Add gender and stir• Gender in real life of the CPWF

How: Gender in the LBDC?

• Check all assumptions about who is making decisions• Be explicit about who has control over resources• Prove that gender is NOT a driver of systems

• Observation • Seasonal activity calendars• Activity profiles including access and control• Activity profiles—including access and control• Disaggregate all data