seep annual conference 2015 inclusion and resilience: the next challenge unpacking measurement...

SEEP Annual Conference 2015Inclusion and Resilience: The Next Challenge

Unpacking measurementchallenges in Women’s Economic

Empowerment

Emilie Gettliffe, MSASonia Jordan, ASI

Rebecca Furst-Nichols, UN FoundationHazel Malapit, IFPRI


Why are we here?


Who is here?


Let’s get to unpacking!


Unpacking the challenges

The Challenge of Understanding Gendered Impact in Market Systems Facilitation

Sonia Jordan, ASI

Impact Indicator: No of poor people within market systems who have experienced net positive income change as a result of the intervention

Female counts as beneficiary

No beneficiary




Male counts as beneficiary

Both count as beneficiaries

None of the above


=





None of the above



=




None of the above


Who counts as benefitting in market systems programs?


Head of Family unit

Head of Enterprise

unit(s)

MF FM

Labour (internal or external to

the FU)

Potential for multiple

productive units within or aligned

to family units


M

Unit 1 Unit 4Unit 3Unit 2

M F

M M F F

F F M

M



Head of Family unit

Head of Enterprise

unit(s)

MF FM


the FU)

Potential for multiple

measurement points


M


M F

M M F F

F F M

M

M M F F

M M

M

MF F F

F FMM



Head of Family unit

Head of Enterprise

unit(s)

MF FM


the FU)

Potential for differential

impact


M


M F

M M F F

F F M

M

Revenue

As Payment or alternative reward

mechanism

Through control of assets and

income

Access to inputs /

information

Using gender-disaggregated log-frames as a sole means to understand gendered impact in market systems programs is always limiting, and can be distortive


The problem of gender-disaggregation in log-frames

• Gender norms• Perceptions of

empowerment

Examples

• Decision-making over income

• Decision-making over inputs

• Division of labour and non-monetary inputs (time)

• Roles & responsibilities• Mobility

• Access to income• Access to production inputs• Access to markets


Do market system programs need to move beyond increased incomes as their key beneficiary focussed impact indicator? What can we learn from WEE-specific programming?

Empowerment

Agency

Increased income

Access

1. How can we better understand who within a mixed-sex household or enterprise actually benefits from our interventions?

2. And how exactly they benefit (or don’t benefit)? Through improved access? Increased income? Or empowerment?

3. Finally, how can an understanding of the first two questions improve how we design, implement and monitor interventions to catalyse WEE in market systems?


Three Conundrums




Women are embedded in households, which makes it difficult to separate and measure the effects of programs in one domain

when they ‘spill over’ into another domain, as happens often in households

Rebecca Furst-Nichols, UN Foundation

• Women are embedded in households, which makes it difficult to separate and measure the effects of programs in one domain when they ‘spill over’ into another domain, as happens often in households.

• Women’s family roles may influence business choices and returns to those businesses (strong interdependence between women's economic and social roles).

• Measuring the unobservable, subjective elements of economic empowerment is difficult but important, since it both impacts final outcomes and may itself be a valued outcome.


Three Conundrums


Examples of direct, intermediate and final outcomes

1. Given the interdependence of women’s economic and social roles, it is important to measure both economic and social outcomes to understand women’s economic empowerment.

2. It is also important to measure both individual and household effects, considering the broader context of women’s well-being in the household.

3. The “what” and the “how” of an evaluation matter equally: “what” refers to the outcomes measured, “how” to the evaluation design.

4. No evaluation is better than a poorly designed evaluation.

5. Not every program can be rigorously evaluated, but we can learn something of value from every program.

6. Complementary qualitative work is important to understand the “why” behind results, which can be quite useful for program staff.


Six Principles from the Researchers’ Convening

Outcome Outcome level IndicatorBusiness income Final Number of employees in

own business

Business income Final Business revenue in own business

Business practices Intermediate Adoption of recommended business practices in own business

Gender roles/norms Intermediate Decision-making role in own business


Urban Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders

Outcome Outcome level IndicatorHousehold income Final Household consumption

per capita of selected items

Agricultural practices Intermediate Adoption of recommended agricultural practices in own or family farm

Gender roles/norms Intermediate Decision-making role in own or family farm


Rural Women Entrepreneurs and Farmers

Outcome Outcome level IndicatorIndividual assets Final Value of financial assetsIndividual assets Final Value of motor vehiclesIndividual assets Final Value of mobile phonesSatisfaction with life Final Overall satisfaction with

lifeSatisfaction with life Final Satisfaction with current

work/jobSelf-confidence Final, intermediate Overall self-confidenceTechnology adoption and effective use

Intermediate Intensity of mobile phone use for business purposes


All Women



Measuring a moving targetHazel Malapit,

IFPRI

• How do you measure a process? – Direct vs proxy measures

• How quickly can change happen? – Measuring change over time– Shifting relevance of indicators over time

• Who should be the judge?– Inherent subjectivity; what do women value?– Validation using women’s own experience and

interpretation of empowermentSEEP Annual Conference 2015

Inclusion and Resilience: The Next Challenge

Empowerment = a process of increasing power!

1. The challenge of understanding gendered impact in market systems facilitation

2. The challenge of women’s embedded status within households, which makes it difficult to separate and measure the effects of programs in one domain when they ‘spill over’ into another domain, as happens often in households

3. The challenge of measuring empowerment recognising it as a changing process


Unpacking Measurement Challenges in Women’s Economic Empowerment

Session Challenges

seep annual conference 2015 inclusion and resilience: the next challenge unpacking measurement...

Documents

poor women

poor people

asiseep annual conference

ifpri seep annual conference

gendered impact

market actors

impact indicator

programme design