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Discussion details

Created 24 September 2018

We caught up with Rebecca Holmes, Senior Research Fellow for Social Protection, Gender and Livelihoods at Overseas Development Institute (ODI), to find out more:

 

 

What, in your opinion, is the biggest challenge in designing and implementing shock-responsive social protection systems to support gender equality and foster women’s and girls’ empowerment?

 

a) There is a lack of an evidence base and limitations to the available data;

b) It is too difficult to include gender into programming in an emergency context with other competing priorities;

c) There is limited political support or acceptability for promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment.

 

Let us know what you think – and why!

(1)

I fully agree with Rebecca Holmes. It is essential to treat the gender component integrated in social protection systems not only as an add on issue. For too long the concept of gender equality has been fragmented across the silos as something to be mainstreamed not fully understanding the complexity behind it. The task involves much more than having women included in targeted groups. Promoting gender equality in crisis contexts requires training and comprehensive analysis for programme design on adaptive social protection. In addition, stronger engagement of institutions from different sectors and local communities are seen as key instruments to enhance the transformative role of the 2030 Agenda. 

Here I share with you two cases that have recently called my attention. They both illustrate interesting cases endorsing the same points presented by Rebecca Holmes.

- Adaptive Social Safety Net in Gaza through intersectionality analisys - The reality of intersectional factors in gender inequality

- Reaching effective support to resettled communities with engagement of the mining industry and local communities in Mozambique - Mining, displacement and empowerment: Working with resettled women in Mozambique

Do other group members have interesting cases to share? Can we collect few lessons from our experiences?