Key Definitions
The following definitions are provided to inform site users on key terms used commonly across the website and were informed by Karim et al.’s 2018 paper on Building Capacity to measure long-term impact on women’s empowerment, the United Nations Gender Mainstreaming Overview, Canada Feminist Policy, and USAID Gender Policy.
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI): A term used to describe policies and programs that promote the representation and participation of different groups of individuals, including people of different ages, races and ethnicities, abilities and disabilities, genders, religions, cultures and sexual orientations. Individually, equity includes initiatives which seek to ensure everyone has access to the same opportunities. Diversity is the inclusion of individuals with differences, often associated with demographic factors such as gender, race and class, in a given setting. Inclusion is the extent to which individuals feel a sense of belonging and value within a given organizational setting.
Gender Analysis: Socio-economic analysis of available or gathered quantitative and qualitative information to identify, understand, and explain gaps between women and men, which typically involves examining—(A) differences in the status of women and men and their differential access to and control over assets, resources, education, opportunities, and services; (B) the influence of gender roles, structural barriers, and norms on the division of time between paid employment, unpaid work (including subsistence production and care for family members), and volunteer activities; (C) the influence of gender roles, structural barriers, and norms on leadership roles and decision-making; constraints, opportunities, and entry points for narrowing gender gaps and empowering women; and, (D) potential differential impacts of development policies and programs on men and women, including unintended or negative consequences; and, (2) includes conclusions and recommendations to enable development policies and programs to narrow gender gaps and improve the lives of women and girls.
Gender Equality: The state in which women, girls, men, and boys have equal access to opportunities, resources, benefits, and legal protections and which recognizes their equal inherent human dignity, worth, and unalienable rights.
Gender Mainstreaming: The process of assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action, including legislation, policies or programs, in all areas and at all levels. This term was established as a major global strategy for the promotion of gender equality in the Beijing Platform for Action from the 4th UN World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995 and has been widely adopted by global development organizations.
Gender Transformative Approaches: Interventions in international development work that create opportunities for individuals to actively challenge gender norms, promote positions of social and political influence for women in communities, and address power inequities between persons of different genders.
Systemically Marginalized Groups: Groups and communities that experience discrimination and exclusion (social, political and economic) because of unequal power relationships across economic, political, social and cultural dimensions.