promoting gender equitable opportunities in agricultural ... - weman

Step 1. Identify key groups of actors in the value chainThe first step to examining gender relationships in value chains is to identify key groups of actors in the value chainand, more specifically, to determine where women and men are located throughout the chain. Interviews withstakeholders are often necessary to identify the relative participation and location of men and women throughoutthe chain. For example, through interviews with men and women farmers, practitioners can collect data on thegender division of labor, including production, marketing, and selling.ProcessStep 2. Measure sex segmentation along the value chainMen and women are typically not evenly distributed through the value chain. Not only do men and women oftenundertake different tasks, but there is often also sex segmentation in terms of wages and ownership. By collectingdata on the locations of men and women in the value chain, on their labor returns, and on ownership/managementrates, areas of inequality can be identified. The following types of data should be collected:1. Labor Allocation: A preliminary analysis of participation includes a simple breakdown of the number ofworkers in various organization units by sex.2. Labor Categories: To move beyond the level of participation to understand the quality of men’s andwomen’s participation, it is also important to clearly disaggregate each labor category of actor andinstitution by sex. Particularly in processing and labor-intensive production industries, different categoriesof labor and management should be disaggregated. In some industries, specific labor categories arehighly gender segregated. For example, in the Bangladesh shrimp sector, men and women are clusteredin different activities. Women and girls constitute 40 percent of all fry catchers and 62 percent of allprocessing plant workers. Few women are intermediaries. In addition, women are absent from severalgroups of actors, which limits their ability to economically gain from the sector.3. Labor Returns: The occupations that men and women hold have implications for the benefits they receive.In the examples above, the better-paying jobs are overwhelmingly held by men. 74 At the same time, studiesindicate examples of wage discrimination in which men and women occupy the same positions but are not paidequally. Sex-disaggregated data should be collected across organizations and within occupational categories.4. Ownership and Management: Data on the sex of the owner(s) and manager(s) of enterprises along thechain should be collected.SEX-DISAGGREGATED OR GENDER-DISAGGREGATED DATASex and gender are distinct concepts. The difference in meaning is often blurred in discussions about sex-disaggregateddata and gender-disaggregated data.Sex-disaggregated data refer to the collection of data by physical attributes of the individual. Disaggregating data by sex(i.e., in categories of males and females) permits valid cross-country comparisons.Gender-disaggregated data refer to the results of a gender analysis of sex-disaggregated data to explain differences anddetermine the effect of activities on gender relations.Source: “Agricultural Censuses and Gender: Lessons Learned from Africa” (Rome: FAO, 2005, pg. vi). Available at http://www.fao.org/sd/dim_pe1/docs/pe1_051003d1_en.PROMOTING GENDER EQUITABLE OPPORTUNITIES IN AGRICULTURAL VALUE CHAINS 74