Incorporating Gender in our Work (CRP 6 Component 2)

Carol J. Pierce ColferCIFOR/Cornell(+ E. Mwangi, D. Catacutan, R. Jalonen)

Outline of Talk

Developing a congenial atmosphereGender in communitiesGender in research teams

Congenial Institutional Atmosphere:History & Potential Constraints

Links with radical feminists (some seen to ‘hate men’)

Buildup of defensiveness (due to longstanding discrimination)

Shortage of women in some relevant fields (due to traditional gender stereotyping)

Global value systems that prioritise men’s work

Building a Congenial Atmosphere

Acknowledge importance of both women and men in accomplishing Component 2 goals

Seek and use variety of gender expertise (local, Consultative Group or CG, partners)

Keep longer term goals in mind when confronted with antagonism, defensiveness, etc. – be patient, polite, persistent

General Strategies

Form/use effective interdisciplinary teams to address gender issues (various levels)

Start with good cooperation/communication among ourselves

Monitor results, learn and adapt, as needed (build on what works)

Address gender issues at multiple scales

Caveat/Basic Assumption

Gender needs to be incorporated into, or complement, our other research

NOT replace existing methods and approaches

Gender in Communities

Assess who does what, who knows about what, who has power over what/whom

Develop research strategies that address topics of local interest to both genders

Form voluntary community groups to examine and address these research topics

Facilitate a cyclical process — goal setting, analysis, planning, implementation, monitoring, re-evaluation

Broadening the Generalizability

Develop research frameworks that compare location-specific findings across regions

Expand assessments beyond the economic (e.g. governance, equity, voice, subsistence benefits/impacts) across sites

Test hypotheses about women, men, forests and trees in long-term sites (Sentinel sites?) – both involvement and impact

Special Constraints to Working with Women (+Some Men) - 1

Women may have less time, more domestic responsibilities – requiring care in scheduling

Women (and some men) may not know national language – requiring use of local language or translation

Special Constraints to Working with Women (+Some Men) - 2

;

Many women (and some men) may be unused to interacting with strangers – requiring time to accustom them (and their family) to your presence

;Husbands may disapprove – requiring negotiation

Many women (and some men) may be illiterate – requiring creative use of graphics

Potential Entrees for Working with Women

Non-timber forest products

Health-related concerns

Food and nutrition Agriculture/agro-

forestry/swiddens Marketing of

‘women’s products’

Potential Entrees for Working with Men

?

Assumption: ‘Men are no problem’ but…perhaps only true for elites…

Soldiers, HIV/AIDS victims, domestic abusers…???

[Surely more positive characteristics than that!]

Children (sons)?

Gender in Research Teams – Why?

Female research team members tend to have better access to women’s views/lives

Male research team members tend to have better access to men (though female outsiders are sometimes seen locally as ‘male’)

Social scientists are trained to study people’s perspectives/lives – many have gender expertise

Special Constraints in Addressing Gender

May require qualitative and descriptive approaches [invisible] – lower prestige in CG

May require location-specific research – lower prestige in CG

May work best with lon

May work best with long term participatory approaches – [historically] unpopular in CG

Possible Entrees/RationalesWithin These Constraints (1)

Maintains ability to be ‘grounded’

Provides opportunities to test technologies, tools, approaches of use to both sexes

Benefits a broader population base, mobilising under-recognized human resources

Possible Entrees/RationalesWithin These Constraints (2)

In-depth nature of research can help shed light on dynamics/interactions not easily revealed via broad surveys

Can be a good basis for generating hypotheses

May improve quantification of qualitative results – leading to better impact assessment

For further discussion

How are you imagining incorporating gender concerns into your work?

What are your hopes, fears, worries about it?

What sorts of roadblocks/opportunities do you anticipate?

What kinds of solutions have worked in the past, or do you envision working in upcoming research?

Questions for researchers