Gender refers to the differences between females and males throughout the life cycle. As such, age also plays a significant role. Gender is about the difference in roles, power, resources and access to resources in any culture.

Over the years, there has been much confusion about the use of terminology and the concept of gender. “Gender” is not only about women and girls. Moreover, gender is not restricted to e.g. issues of reproductive health or sexual and gender-based violence. In short, gender is about acknowledging the different needs and capacities of girls, boys, women and men and creating opportunities for equal enjoyment of rights by women, girls, boys and men.

Why Does Gender Matter?

Gender matters. Women and men very often respond differently to violence, crisis and conflict. Gender roles change across age and over time. Women and men bring different issues to the table. Women and men, girls and boys have different needs and different capacities and these are bound to change in a conflict and/or displacement situation. Likewise, relations between men and women will change and hence also power dynamics.
Conflict and displacement situations are very likely to create new vulnerabilities but also new opportunities and capacities, gender roles may change and so will the relation between females and males.

DRC recognises gender as one of the primary organising principles of any society and thus also that conflicts tend to bring about fundamental changes in the relations between men and women, their respective roles and access to resources, with potentially positive and negative effects.

Therefore, DRC seeks to ensure that men and women have equal access to programmes. This means that gender aspects should be considered in DR C projects under all 3 scenarios - be it the acute crisis, the displacement or the durable solutions scenario. When doing so, it should be done with a view to ensure that programmes:

• Benefit both men and women;
• Recognise and utilise their respective capacities;
• Recognise and take into consideration their special needs;
• Support positive changes in gender relations, i.e. changes in terms of greater gender equality; and
• Avoid undermining women’s decision making capacities, and increasing their work load.

In doing so, DRC bases its work on fundamental human rights and international recognised instruments.

It is the responsibility of DRC management at all levels to ensure that DRC’s gender tool is being used and that the DR C minimum requirements are being adhered to.

Gender mainstreaming is the strategy and approach applied in many DRC programmes that do not specifically target men or women but rather communities/groups affected by displacement, e.g. IDPs, host communities, returnees etc. When we do not specifically target men or women, boys or girls, it is of great importance that the choice of strategy and intervention is still based on a thorough analysis of the different impact, needs and capacities of women and men, girls and boys.

However, gender targeted actions addressing the specific needs of individuals/groups within an affected population may also be called for. Civilians are increasingly becoming targets of violence. The number of civilian causalities in war is on the increase and the majority of them are women and children. Therefore, targeted actions may be relevant and necessary and will often target women and/or children (girls & boys) acknowledging that women and children are specific targets of violence and abuses in times of conflict. Likewise, that women and children are often the once left behind in the communities during conflict and immediately after.

DRC Minimum Requirements

DRC’s minimum requirements reflect that gender must be considered throughout all the different stages of the project cycle from planning and analysis over implementation to monitoring, evaluation and reporting. Details are as follows:

1. Programme Documents, including the Strategic Programme Document (SPD)

- The target group vulnerability & capacity assessment/analysis distinguishes between women & men

- The discussion of strategy options is gender-sensitive

Indicatorsare disaggregated for women and men, except when it is obviously irrelevant to do so

2. Monitoring

- All project beneficiary data collection and statistics are disaggregated on women and men, respectively (and girls and boys, if applicable)

3. Reporting

- In the Quarterly Report to HQ, a brief sub-section on Strengthening of gender aspects will indicate the measures to be taken to strengthen gender aspects during the next quarter, covering as a minimum those measures taken in terms of item 1 and 2 above

4. The Annual Review

- Gender aspects, as a DRC operational principle, are explicit in the generic ToR for the Annual Review

- The Annual Review will conclude how the programme will strengthen its gender analysis and strategy