Gender Equality Toolkit In Transport
Monitoring and Evaluation
“The goal is to turn data into information and information into insight” – Carly Fiorina
Why is this important?
Once a scheme is in place it is key to monitor and review this to assess if travel patterns have changed or if the issues identified beforehand have been improved. Negative social impacts of schemes are often felt more severely by women due to existing gender inequalities and vulnerabilities. As planners, we must identify if this has occurred to ensure that inequalities have not been perpetuated, and if so, are mitigated.
The change process:
Monitor
Adapt
Evaluate
Drivers for change
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Collect post-implementation data. This needs to be disaggregated by gender and where possible include qualitative, quantitative and participatory data collection methods.
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Use participatory processes during monitoring and evaluation. Reflection groups should have participants of all genders and follow similar methods to those outlined in the 'Engagement and Consultation' section. This will create more effective participation for other projects and help to boost the status of current project.
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Complete a Gender Impact Assessment (GIA). A GIA helps to identify if a policy or programme reduces, maintains or increases gender inequality issues through looking at the impacts of a scheme after it has been implemented. See the best practice example below.
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Develop gender equality indicators. Use gender equality as an indicator to determine who has participated in engagement and consultation activities and who benefits/does not benefit from the outcomes of completed projects. These indicators can be used to generate lessons learnt to inform future work.
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Monitoring should be continuous and assess the short, medium and long-term impacts. While some project impacts may be identifiable straight away it is also important to monitor impacts over a long term period as they may change due to other confounding factors.
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Use monitoring and evaluation data to develop lessons learnt and best practice to inform future activities. Incorporate monitoring and evaluation into project performance and ask has the project addressed women's transport needs?
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Use before and after photographs. Photographing an area helps us to rapidly visually understand the impact projects have on an area.
What is a Gender Impact Assessment?
A GIA is a core tool for implementing gender mainstreaming. It helps to estimate different effects of any policy or activity being implemented, in terms of gender equality. It consequently takes into account the different needs, characteristics, priorities, behaviours of the users at whom the policies are ultimately aimed at (European Commission).
Case Studies:
European Institute for Gender Equality - Gender Impact Assessments
Gender Impact Assessments aid towards gender equality, better policy making and governance and provide a tool for learning. They help to understand differential impacts on women and men from a gender 'lens' and ensure outcomes of policies and activities promote gender equality. GIA's can be completed as a stand alone exercise for analysis and reporting, or can be a continuous process considered throughout.
Click here for the guide to Gender Impact Assessments
West Northamptonshire Council - Consultation Evaluation
This evaluation checklist forms part of the West Northamptonshire Council Consultation Toolkit. The checklist contains a range of different question prompts to help organisations consider how effective consultation processes were and develop lessons learnt for future consideration. This includes asking participants their views about what could be improved.
Click here to read the checklist.
HM Treasury Magenta Book - Central Government Guidance on Evaluation
This document, which is to be used in conjunction with the Green Book, provides a comprehensive overview of effective evaluation processes. It covers the different types of evaluation, different evaluation approaches and how to develop and carry out evaluation.
The aim of the document is to ensure that decision-makers are equipped with the skills and knowledge to carry out robust evaluation to determine whether projects and interventions are effective and deliver value in the short and long term.
Click here to read the guidance.
