Gender Training for Development Policy Implementers

Overview

The failure of many projects to address gender inequalities has led development organisations to provide gender training courses for staff, as a strategy for addressing the problem. This paper is based on the findings of research commissioned by the Department for International Development (DFID) into gender training in some UK-based development organisations. This paper gives an account of who is trained, how and by whom the training is conducted, and the approach and methods used, and attempts to assess and evaluate the impact of training. The conclusions of the authors are that, if it is to be effective, gender training for staff involved in the implementation of development policy must recognise and relate to the context in which they work; and that such training needs to be part of a broad organisational strategy of change to achieve gender equality.