PDF (345 KB ) - Document Database website

Module I
Poverty Reduction Strategies, Social Dialogue and Gender Equality
The aim is to ensure that all groups of the poor share the benefits of a poverty reduction
strategy. However, differences between men’s and women’s needs are often not fully
recognised during the process of consultation and participation prior to agreeing on the
PRSP. The World Bank itself has drawn attention to address issues of gender equality and
inequality in the production of a PRSP.
10. Why is women’s participation in the
PRSP process critical
Participation and representation of women in workers’ and employers’ organizations and
in government agencies is vital in developing gender sensitive analysis and interventions
in the participatory process of preparing a PRSP. Women’s ability to act as fully engaged
participants depends as much on access to the participative process, particularly to
decision-making, as on the legitimacy of their contributions as equal members of the
workforce and of society. Democratic consultation of women will make PRSPs more
effective for all.
11. How can gender-related poverty be diagnosed
As mentioned above, poverty is multidimensional in nature and it is not adequate simply
to measure income levels alone. The work of producing a PRSP will need to look at other
non-income factors, for example access (or lack of access) to and distribution of
resources, control (or lack of control) over productive resources and assets, degrees of
vulnerability experienced, and the extent of participation in political and economic
institutions. In many of these areas it may well be that women will experience greater
levels of deprivation than men.
The measurement and analysis of poverty has several purposes: cognitive (to know the
situation); analytical (to understand the causal or correlated factors), policy-making (to
design interventions), and monitoring and evaluation purposes (to assess whether current
policies are effective, and whether the situation is changing).
Poverty analysis which aims to identify the gender dimensions of poverty should – as a
minimum – highlight the following: any gender bias in macro-economic and structural
policies, the role of gender inequality in the creation and perpetuation of poverty; the
experiences of poverty for women and men; the effects of policy and resource allocations
on women and men.
Poverty profiles are generally obtained from household surveys, and from national
indicators of human development. Participatory poverty assessments, by contrast, are
opportunities to learn directly about the views of women and men – for example, by
exploring any gender differences in the time allocated to perform tasks and activities in
the course of everyday life. It is valuable, when undertaking a participatory poverty
12