Gender Considerations in Global Workforce

Development Programs

Kate Carpenter, Vice President

September 12, 2012

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Gender in the Project Cycle

• Planning• Program Design &

Implementation• Life Skills • Monitoring and Evaluation

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Planning phase: Gender Analysis• Identify structural and cultural issues (traditional

roles/stereotypes, disparities in educational or skills levels, unequal access to resources).

• Review of existing data, interviews, focus groups.• Survey public, private, nonprofit, and educational

sectors, community leaders, families and youth!• What will prevent young men and women from

benefiting equally from the program?• What inequities may lead us to target one gender

due to relative disadvantage or risk levels?• What approaches needed for each gender?

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Examples of findings from gender analyses in Youth:Work programs

• Middle East: concerns about female safety; limitations on movement; acceptable careers.

• Jordan: culture of shame around working in certain jobs, especially for young men.

• Jamaica: young males’ education obtainment and literacy rates lower than females.

• Kyrgyzstan: prevalence of bride kidnapping. • Mexico: strong gender stereotyping.• Caribbean: single mothers need child care.• Peru: more women in informal employment.

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Program Design/ Implementation

Consider gender findings when designing:• outreach to and selection of youth for training;• choice of and preparation of trainers;• time, place, and composition of training classes;• support services (transportation, child care,

remedial education, psycho-social support);• outreach to parents and community;• working with employers to ensure workplaces

meet needs of both sexes. 

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Training Design in Youth:Work• Training classes segregated by gender.• Training scheduled to accommodate household

or employment responsibilities.• Gender awareness training for local trainers.• Female trainers for female students.• Stipends for transportation and child care for

single mothers to facilitate attendance.• Remedial education for young men.• Specific outreach to enroll women victims of

gender violence or early marriage.• Targets to ensure enrollment of equal numbers of

men and women.

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Job Placement Design in Youth:Work

• Working with employers to ensure safe working environments and transportation options for women.

• Stipulations for equal pay for men and women placed in jobs.

• Gender awareness training for career counselors and mentors.

• Providing role models that break with traditional stereotypes.

• Preparation of girls to deal with workplace inequities.

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Life Skills: a Critical Tool• Offered to men and women equally.• Some lessons tailored to different gender

audiences and based on local issues.• Includes lessons on gender bias, equality,

gender–based violence, etc.• Reproductive health information is critical.• Builds awareness, self-confidence,

communication and conflict resolution skills.• Begins to change perceptions among both

sexes of inherent biases.

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Examples – Life Skill Activities• Harshal, of his Planning for Life training in India: “I

had heard about gender inequality but never realized that I had been party to it by being insensitive towards women in my family. I have found a new respect for women.”

• Hamza of his Youth:Work Jordan life skills training: “Most importantly, I learned how to think positively and break through barriers imposed by the ‘culture of shame’. All Jordanian boys should have the chance I had … the country would be different.”

• Elisa, school drop-out of her Youth:Work Mexico training: “the news here says there isn’t work but IYF showed me how to be successful and overcome life’s challenges.”

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Parental Involvement

• Awareness raising sessions for parents about gender bias/constraints.

• Invite parents of young women to observe training sites, classes, and workplaces to increase comfort level.

• Secure parental support to attend trainings.

• Clarify goals, benefits and expectations of workforce training and placement.

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Examples – Parental Involvement

• Youth:Work Jordan’s outreach to parents has resulted in greater openness to parents allowing their daughters to pursue non-traditional careers.

• “My daughter now feels confident walking into a computer lab and is able to express herself in front of people” (Parent of Youth:Work Jordan beneficiary).

• When her husband objected to her joining the life skills training, Bhavna convinced her mother-in-law to let her try it by bringing her along to the training. Bhavna is now starting her own business with support of her husband.

• “I did not allow my daughter to join the course, but now seeing Farhat’s confidence after the course I am getting her enrolled in the next session” - Neighbour of an enrolled student in India.

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Monitoring and Evaluation• Design gender-specific data collection from

the beginning.• Ensure local partners track gender from

program entry to training performance to job placement.

• Analyze data during implementation to check results and make adjustments.

• Do post-program analysis to identify changes achieved in gender equality.

• Review what worked and lessons learned.

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Summary• Gender should infuse all phases of a

program’s implementation.• Analysis prior to program design is critical to

anticipate needs.• Gender issues do not exist in a vacuum –

need to involve parents and community.• Life skills are opportunity to raise awareness

among both sexes about gender issues.• Establish M&E mechanisms for continual

review of achievement of gender goals.

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