Gender Integration

MODULE 2: INTEGRATING
GENDER INTO CIVIL SOCIETY
PROGRAMMING
Civil society plays a critical role in aggregating
and representing citizen interests and needs and
in holding governments accountable.
In addition, civil society provides an arena for citizen engagement
and influence on political issues and processes. It is
therefore vital that all citizens are equally empowered and
have equitable opportunities to participate in civil society.
While in many cases civil society organizations (CSOs) are
leading the fight for universally recognized human rights, civil
society may also be a space in which gender inequality and
other forms of discrimination are reproduced. CSOs that are
women-led or focused on gender and gender equality are
often seen by other governance stakeholders as “niche” or
minority organizations and face challenges inserting their issues
and perspectives into political discourse, even when they
advocate on “general” and non-minority issues. Female and
transgender women human rights defenders and other activists
face far higher rates of gender-based violence and threats
than do male activists, in addition to discrimination and other
challenges. While some segments of civil society have provided
much-needed leadership opportunities for women, women
have also often stalled there, blocked from transferring their
leadership skills to other sectors. By failing to be inclusive or
gender-sensitive in their approach, CSOs may also perpetuate
gender inequality and other forms of discrimination, thereby
weakening the democratic culture they seek to strengthen.
Despite these challenges, civil society remains one of the most
important sectors in which to cultivate inclusive participation
in support of our objectives under USAID’s DRG Strategy.
SECTION I. Guiding Questions for Gender
Analysis in Civil Society Programming
Participation, Representation, and Leadership
• What is the status of women’s and LGBTI people’s
participation in civil society, including non-governmental
organizations (NGOs), membership organizations, student
and youth groups, faith-based organizations, trade unions,
farmers associations, and trade/business and professional
associations? Which types of organizations tend to have
strong participation from women?
• What types of organizations tend to have the highest
levels of female leadership?
• What are the most common barriers and constraints to
women’s participation in civil society and formal CSOs?
What differences exist in terms of opportunities and
barriers among women of varying ages, ethnic or religious
groups, or urban/rural backgrounds? How does this differ
for poor, disabled, indigenous or LGBTI individuals? What
differences in participation and barriers exist between the
local and national level?
• What unique risks and dangers do female activists and
civil society members face? To what extent do CSOs
and activists have adequate safety and security plans? Are
gender-sensitive security trainings provided within CSOs?
How is their effectiveness assessed?
• To what degree are prominent women’s organizations
representative of diverse groups of women? For whom
do they speak? Are there certain groups of women that
are not represented by existing women’s organizations?
• Do CSOs’ internal policies and practices foster a supportive
workplace for women and men? For example, do recruitment
and hiring practices or leave and flexible work policies
take gender differences into account? Are there sexual
harassment policies in place and procedures for dealing
with grievances? Within democratically run organizations,
are there affirmative efforts to encourage women to hold
leadership positions?
• What percentage of leadership positions do women
and minority group members occupy among CSOs in
Mission or program-specified target areas and among
key stakeholder CSOs?
• What public perceptions about women’s leadership
abilities are most prevalent?
24 USAID | Gender Integration in Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance (DRG) Programming Toolkit