Gender Assessment

Rapid Gender Analysis: Gender, Conflict and Internal Displacement in and from South Lebanon

The overarching objective of this Rapid Gender Analysis (RGA) is to highlight the differential impacts of the growing insecurity at Lebanon’s southern border for men, women and other vulnerable populations such as migrant domestic workers, refugees, and those with diverse sexual identities. The specific objectives are to: (1) Unpack potential shifts in attitudes, behaviours, roles and responsibilities among men and women within the household and community that may enable or prevent more equitable participation in humanitarian program planning and response, especially among internally displaced populations; (2) Identify the gender-based constraints (including gender-based violence and mobility restrictions) that hinder equitable participation or access to humanitarian services/resources/programs; (3) Understand the direct and indirect impacts of the conflict on health, livelihood, shelter, safe access to essential services and resources, including solidarity networks; (4) Generate actionable recommendations for CARE and other humanitarian stakeholders to design and implement more inclusive, equitable and targeted program interventions around key priority areas.

Key Findings
• For domestic migrant workers, refugee and IDP and those identifying as LGBTQI+ mutual aid groups and seeking local solidarity networks are essential in securing essential services, creating advocacy channels and build social safety nets.
• Women in urban regions hold more influencing power over household decisions than those in rural areas.
•Female refugees/IDPs, domestic migrant workers and LGBTQI+ individuals reported barriers to accessing sexual and reproductive health services as well as other essential health services.
•The psychological toll of the current violence is triggering overwhelming levels of stress, anxiety, and fear across the community, especially affecting children and those with memories of migration and conflict.
• Overcrowded shelters lack gender-sensitive considerations and amplify risks of GBV, particularly exploitation and harassment.
• Economic coping strategies from the long-standing economic crisis is taking a toll on livelihoods and the ability of households to save, leading women and other vulnerable groups to be exposed to disproportionate safety and protection risks. Read More...

Her Voice 2024

About this report
Increases in global conflict, the economic impact of COVID-19, market inflation, and the growing effects of climate change are compounding global crises. Those crises disproportionately affect the most vulnerable communities, especially women and girls. Addressing the unprecedented and overwhelming humanitarian crisis requires response and recovery efforts to listen to and address the needs of those affected the most, especially women and girls.

What are women telling us?
1. Crises are compounding: Women are reporting climate change, food insecurity, and conflict as the top three crises that drive impact on livelihood, food security, and safety.

2. Impact on livelihood and food security continue to be the top two reported impacts: 78% of women and 67% of men reported an impact on their livelihood. 74% of women and 72% of men reported an impact on food security. Women are more likely to eat less and sell their assets than men. Soaring food prices and inflation on essential commodities are significant factors that also affect access and availability of food.

3. Safety has overtaken mental health as one of the biggest impact areas: 47% of women and 62% of men reported an impact on their safety. In 2020 and 2021, mental health was the third prioritized impact area; in 2023, however, more women and men prioritized safety.

In the face of unimaginable and compounded crises and impacts, women still show leadership and take action to support their households and communities – 59% of women and 62% of men are trying to restore their livelihood. Women are also supporting to lead community response and are leading at the grassroots level, however, the space for their participation and leadership is shrinking.

The best way to understand what is happening to crises affected population is to listen to their voices and experiences and understand the support they need. This year, we asked women what we should recommend, and their top four asks are: livelihood recovery; addressing food insecurity; strengthening health services and addressing safety concerns.

This report represents 9,517 respondents (7,208 women) from twelve countries and provides quantitative and qualitative insights from countries that CARE conducted assessments in 2023. Read More...

Titukulane Gender Progress Marker Monitoring Report

Titukulane is a five-year, US $75 million Resilience Food Security Activity funded by the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance. The project is led by the Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (CARE) in partnership with Emmanuel International (EI), the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the National Smallholders Farmers’ Association of Malawi (NASFAM), Save the Children (SC), and WaterAid. Implemented in 19 Traditional Authorities (T/As) of two southern districts of Malawi (Zomba and Mangochi), Titukulane directly impacts 510,910 individuals – including adolescent girls and boys aged 10 to 19, and young women and men aged 20 to 29 – who face an uncertain future as farming becomes less viable. Titukulane offers an integrated and gender-responsive package of interventions across the following program elements: maternal and child health; nutrition and water, sanitation, and hygiene, (WASH); agriculture sector capacity; microenterprise productivity; civic participation; and capacity building, preparedness, and planning. The program works across three purpose areas:

Purpose 1: Increased, diversified, sustainable incomes for ultra-poor, chronically vulnerable households (HHs), women and youth.
Purpose 2: Nutritional status among children < 5, adolescent girls, and women of reproductive age improved; and
Purpose 3: Increased institutional and local capacities to reduce risk and increase resilience among very poor and chronically vulnerable households in alignment with the National Resilience Strategy.

Gender integration is a crosscutting component among all activities and project emphasizes the critical importance and benefits of increased voice, participation and leadership of women and youths, including young women. A Gender Analysis was initially conducted for Titukulane in 2020 to identify context specific gender barriers, inequalities, and potential risks that could negatively affect the achievement of the project’s expected outcomes, as well as to assess how these constraints could be addressed in Zomba and Mangochi. Read More...

OUTCOME MAPPING ASSESSMENT REPORT RESILIECE IN PASTORAL AREAS (RIPA – NORTH)

Gender transformation is a major cross-cutting approach of the Mercy Corps-led RIPA-North program which aims to build resilience in the lowlands of Ethiopia. A key pillar of this approach is to address restrictive gender and social norms which limit female participation in market opportunities, exclude women from having an active voice in community institutions, and undermine nutrition improvements. The approach, led by CARE International, is a process of Social Analysis and Action (SAA) in which participants in RIPA-North community and market platforms engage in dialogue with their communities to identify and ultimately address the restrictive norms.
RIPA-North’s ‘Gender Outcome Mapping' Study, conducted in February 2023, aimed to assess how communities themselves measure theirprogress towards gender equality. The findings indicate very positive signs of progress, with almost 75% of women reporting 'high' or 'medium' levels of change for all eight main categories of gender norm that pose a challenge for women's participation and gender equity. Read More...

Rapid Gender Analysis on Power and Participation Ségou region, Mali (GENRE+II PROJECT)

This Rapid Gender Analysis on Power and Participation (RGA-P) is part of the GENRE+II project in the cercles of Bla, Ségou and Barouéli in the Ségou region of Mali. The project is funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCDO) to build capacity for climate change adaptation, gender equality and social cohesion in the Ségou region.
This RGA-P is the first step in CARE's Women Lead in Emergencies (WLiE) model. It summarises the impact of the crisis on gender roles and relations, the capacity of women/girls to cope, participate and influence decision-making in response to the crisis, and offers ideas on how women can strengthen their own participation and leadership. The RGA-P is based on secondary and primary data collection carried out in March 2023 in eight communes in the cercles of Ségou, Bla and Barouéli in the Ségou region. Read More...

Rapid Gender Analysis Ukraine October 2023

This Rapid Gender Analysis (RGA) has been carried out to shed light on the gender dynamics, needs, experiences and challenges of women, men, adolescent girls and boys and people with diverse gender identities, from different groups and backgrounds, as they cope with the humanitarian crisis after more than one and a half years of full-scale war. The analysis explores how pre-existing and reinforced power relations affect people’s experiences of conflict, and how they cope with the ensuing humanitarian emergency. This report draws on primary data collected in four oblasts (Kharkivska, Dnipropetrovska, Odeska, and Mykolaivska), as well as secondary data from before and during the crisis. A mix of quantitative and qualitative research methods was used, including 45 key informant interviews (KIIs), 611 individual surveys, 12 focus group discussions (FGDs), 12 community mapping exercises and eight individual stories. Data was collected from a total of 735 individuals, of which 43% female adults, 28% male adults, 18% adolescent girls, and 11% adolescent boys, including 9.5% individuals living with some form of disability, and 3.9% identifying as LGBTQI+. Additionally, the role of women-led organizations and women’s rights organizations (WLOs/WROs) was highlighted, with a particular interest in understanding barriers and opportunities around leadership and participation in the humanitarian response.
The war in Ukraine is not gender neutral. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, women and men have been playing distinct and specific roles. As the humanitarian crisis ensues, a general trend has emerged: women are often providing alone for their families while facing loss of income, family separation, and massive disruptions in the provision of essential services; whilst many men are engaged in the more direct war efforts on the frontlines, exposing themselves to potential death, severe injuries and mental health distress. Although Ukraine has not yet adopted full
conscription, men between ages 18-60 may be called into military service unless they have legal grounds for deferment or exclusion. Many Ukrainian women have also voluntarily enrolled in the military and territorial defense forces.1 Yet, the mobilization of men is deeply rooted in beliefs around masculinity related to self-sacrifice on the battlefield and the defense of their country and family, which reinforces notions of feminine roles rooted in reproductive care. The implications of amplified and more polarized beliefs around gender roles will continue with the ongoing war and its aftermath, particularly for those who may not fit those social norms and expectations, such as people with disabilities and LGBTQI+ individuals. Read More...

Gaza Strip Rapid Gender Analysis: Brief

There is an increasing recognition that conflict is not gender neutral; in fact, protracted conflicts such as in Gaza create a landscape of multidimensional and intersectional vulnerabilities for diverse groups compounding over time (specifically around access to food, mobility, poverty, education, protection and employment) and disproportionately affect women and girls across all categories. The escalation of violence in Gaza and the surrounding region has led to an unfathomable level of death, deprivation and destruction for the most vulnerable populations and further compromises their ability to respond, adapt and build resilience to continued shock. Thus, the humanitarian response must account for these pre-existing vulnerabilities while integrating and adapting to the complexity of this unprecedented crisis through a gender and inclusive programming lens. This Rapid Gender Analysis (RGA) aims to highlight existing gender, age and disability data and provide operational recommendations for the humanitarian response in Gaza, while centering ‘Do No Harm’ principles. Given the rapidly evolving context of this crisis, this RGA brief draws from secondary data to inform immediate programming and will be updated as more information becomes available and more in-depth information is needed to support the humanitarian response. Read More...

GENDER ANALYSIS FOR INCLUSIVE SMALL HOLDER FARMERS IN NORTHERN UGANDA (DINU PROJECT)

The Development Initiative for Northern Uganda (DINU) is a Government of Uganda program with support from the European Union. DINU was awarded to a CARE Denmark led Consortium comprising of CARE International in Uganda, Gulu Agricultural Development Company (GADC), Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Dynamic Agro-pastoralist Development Organization (DADO) and SORUDA. The consortium is implementing a project for inclusive market-based development for small holder farmers in Northern Uganda covering eleven districts.
Key Findings:
* Gender division of labour shows that women and girls do the bulk of unpaid care work. Women do 70% of household chores, and children 15%.
• Over 80% of couples report joint household decision making on sales and purchases but control over sales income is largely under men.
• Women are a majority in savings groups though borrowing is contested. Land is accessible to the entire household, but control is largely by men. Men also control credit, savings, and access to business skills.
• Gender norms influence nutrition, income, gender-based violence and enjoyment of SRHR. Read More...

Sudan – Khartoum, Al Gezira, East Darfur, South Darfur Rapid Gender Analysis

On April 15, 2023, heavy clashes erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Khartoum. The conflict has since expanded and involves more non-state armed actors. There has been a near total collapse of services in the most conflict-affected states, including the closure of markets, shops, healthcare centers, schools, and the outages of water, electricity, banking, and telecommunications infrastructures. The complexity of the situation sets the tone for rippling consequences that have been seen across the entire population, especially affecting already marginalized groups and those with pre-existing vulnerabilities (such as female-headed households and those with chronic health conditions). The purpose of the Rapid Gender Analysis (RGA) is to provide information about the different needs, capacities and coping strategies of women and men focusing on four states: Al Gezira, Khartoum, East Darfur, and South Darfur. The RGA gathered primary data from 121 participants in August 2023, and triangulated the findings against 90 secondary data sources.
Data from the RGA shows that despite women taking on more income-generating responsibilities, they continue to have unequal decision-making rights within the household. One of the biggest changes in gender roles has been the emergence of more women in the labor force. Men and women alike reported feeling that the only job opportunities currently available are for women. As such, women are increasingly working outside of the household to financially provide for their families. Despite this change, the division of household unpaid care work has not shifted; in most cases, the burden of caretaking for the family is shouldered by women and has only expanded since schools have closed. Therefore, while most women feel they have gained marginally more decision-making power within the household, it has been primarily related to caregiving tasks and making choices around pursuing different types of income-generating opportunities.
Similarly, women are playing important roles in the humanitarian response, but they remain sidelined from humanitarian decision-making. Many of the patriarchal norms that have been long-present in Sudanese culture that restrict women’s agency and participation in the public sphere have continued. Read More...

CARE Rapid Gender Analysis Ghana- Upper East, Ashanti, Western North, Central and Bono COVID-19

Between March 2020 and May 2020 Ghana was ranked second amongst countries in the West and Central Africa region most impacted by the COVID-19. In the number of cumulative cases in the WHO Africa region, Ghana is number three. Three regions have maintained their position as having the highest number of COVID-19 cases in Ghana – Greater Accra, Ashanti and Western Regions. On March 12th 2020, Ghana recorded its first two cases. Because of the spread of the virus, the government has taken proactive deterrent measures to prevent its spread. Some of the measures range from the closure of land, sea and air borders (except for the transport of goods) to partial lockdown, closure of schools, enforcement of social distancing, mandatory wearing of face mask, quarantining of suspected cases, partial closure of markets and ban on all social gatherings. Despite these restrictions, the virus seems to be making rapid spread in the country. Ghana’s total confirmed cases as at Wednesday, April 15, 2020 is as follows: Confirmed cases 268, Recoveries 83, Well/responding to treatment 175, Critically/moderately ill 2, Deaths 8. The novelty of the virus will impact women, men, girls and boys in different aspect across the sixteen regions of Ghana.
The management of the pandemic has led to an increase in the workload of women in households. Men continue to predominantly retain the role of heads of household, in some cases dedicating more time to family discussions. However, women are taking full responsibility for household chores and caring for dependents, such as children, vulnerable elderly, and the sick, as well as children who have dropped out of school due to the temporary closure of schools. This significant increase in work for women has significant effects on their physical and psychological health.
Men also face mental health problems as they are under stress from the loss of paid work and have difficulty managing the confinement measures that prevent them from working.
Women's economic empowerment continues to be conditioned by social norms that limit women's control over economic resources and decision-making over financial resources in the household. The response to the crisis can easily increase the already existing gender gaps in livelihoods given the preventive measures adopted by the authorities, even though some of them have already been lifted.
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