A Critical Analysis of Current M

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A Critical Analysis of Current ME Frameworks
Insights from AWIDs research on ME
frameworks By Srilatha Batliwala, Scholar
Associate, AWID
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First, lets remember that
When you work for womens interests, its two
steps forward - and at least one step back. And
those steps back are often evidence of your
effectiveness they represent the threat you have
posed to the power structure, and its attempt to
push you back. Sadly, even our success stories
are sometimes nothing more than ways the power
structure is trying to accommodate and contain
the threat of more fundamental change by making
small concessions to us. Sheela Patel
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Assumptions in ME

• Everything should be measured
• Everything can be measured even complex
  processes of social change
• Measurement will enhance our ability to
  accelerate, deepen, replicate positive change, or
  improve achievement of desired goals
• Change is predictable we know what it will look
  like, where it will occur, and how to assess it

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Assumptions in ME

1. The macro-political environment is stable,
   democratic, upholds basic rights, and protects
   change agents and change processes i.e., law
   and order, an impartial judiciary and police, due
   process, rights of association, civil liberties,
   an independent media, etc. are inevitably present
   in every context
2. The organizational environment is stable and
   unchanging staff dont leave, core operational
   costs are secure, and you havent been shut down
   or harassed

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Why ME?

• In theory, to
• Learn how change happens, make it happen faster,
  better, etc.
• Analyze and sharpen our role in the change
  process
• Empower our constituencies
• Practice accountability to donors,
  constituencies, peers, public, etc.
• To advance our advocacy agenda

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Why ME?

• In practice, to
• Satisfy donor demands
• Prove were doing what they funded us to do
• Leverage more funding
• Protect ourselves - from backlash, attacks,
  slander campaigns, etc.

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What isnt working

• Very few ME frameworks actually enable us to
  understand whether change has happened, or gender
  power altered they measure performance (program
  inputs and outputs), not change
• What they measure may not be indicative of the
  change theyre measuring at all (e.g., GDP!)

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What isnt working

• Many current frameworks are very linear, and
  look for simplistic cause-effect relationships
  (x intervention y effect z change)
• One such, the logical framework, is often focused
  on performance - log frames focus on the
  expected achievements laid out in the matrix
  rather than the work itself.

,
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What isnt working

• Most frameworks do not provide for tracking
  negative change, reversals, backlash, unexpected
  events, etc., that push back or shift the
  direction of the change process. In womens
  rights work, this is vital, because the most
  effective work seriously challenges patriarchal /
  other social power structures, creating negative
  reactions.
• Reactions / backlash / negative change is often
  evidence of positive impact!

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What isnt working

• Most current frameworks are completely
  inappropriate for certain kinds of social change
  organizations and strategies E.g., advocacy,
  training / capacity building, knowledge
  production, challenging discourse, etc.
• Consequently, these organizations are forced to
  measure their processes, outreach and outputs
  (number programs held, number of participants,
  publications, attendance at rallies, etc.),
  rather than their impact.

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What isnt working

• Several false binaries and dichotomies are
  embedded within or underlie many ME approaches
  e.g., quantitative-qualitative,
  subjective-objective, macro-micro,
  success-failure, and so forth.
• These create problematic hierarchies rather than
  approaches that can integrate and transcend such
  dualities.

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What isnt working

• Disjuncture between change measures and our time
  frames. The changes we are trying to track may
  not be visible within the time frame in which we
  are seeking it
• Most current ME frameworks are neither gendered
  nor feminist in their principles or methodology.

It takes ten years to build an organization,
twenty years to build a movement, and thirty
years before you see lasting impact. Ela Bhat
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Measuring Social Abstractions the key questions

1. What is it? Definition
2. Where is it? Location (geographic, social,
   political, institutional, sectoral)
3. What are its boundaries? Spatial, demographic,
   and conceptual
4. What does it look like? Characteristics
   situational analysis
5. What can be measured? Measurable dimensions,
   sub-units, indicators
6. When do we measure? Baseline frequency of
   assessment

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Elements of Feminist ME

• Feminist answers to the social abstraction
  questions
• Informed by / embedded in feminist values and
  principles
• Based on complexity
• Use the best available tools (both quantitative
  and qualitative)
• Appropriate and differentiated time frames
• Designed for the level, nature of work and
  strategies of each organization

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Principles of Feminist ME

• The right of our constituency to inform,
  co-design and participate in the monitoring and
  evaluation of change processes
• Respect for the voice and perspective of all key
  stakeholders
• Prioritizing learning in our ME goals
• Positioning ME as a political activity
• Integrating political and social forces into our
  analysis frameworks

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Principles of Feminist ME

• Avoiding attribution, assessing contribution
• Eschewing false binaries / dichotomies
• Not using ME for punitive purposes
• Capturing, analyzing and addressing negative
  changes, reversals
• Willingness to abandon, revise, recast our
  frameworks

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First steps in doing it differently

• Problem definition situational analysis
• Enunciation of our ME principles
• Development of customized ME framework
  indicators (see forthcoming AWID guideline)
• Establish a baseline
• Track and map
• Our processes
• Our performance and
• External change

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Social Watch Gender Equity Index

• Education Gap
• literacy rate
• primary school enrolment
• secondary school enrolment
• tertiary education enrolment

Empowerment Gap of women in technical
positions of women in management and
government positions of women in parliaments
of women in ministerial posts

• Economic Gap
• economic activity rate
• estimated earned income

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