What is "Gender Analysis"?

In 1996 the Ministry of Women's Affairs issued a publication called, The Full Picture: Guidelines for Gender Analysis.

To quote:

"What is gender analysis?

Gender analysis:

• examines the differences in women's and men's lives, including those which lead to social and economic inequity for women, and applies this understanding to policy development and service delivery;
• is concerned with the underlying causes of these inequities;
• aims to achieve positive change for women."
  

It looks for and attempts to overcome inequities for women, but not for men. Hence if women's material standard of living falls on separation, that should be corrected, but if men's material standard of living falls on marriage, that is irrelevant. If women have difficulty obtaining child support, that should be corrected, but if men are obstructed from seeing their children, that is irrelevant. If women have difficulty getting paid employment, that should be corrected, but if men have difficulty getting custody, that is irrelevant.

The publication does not define equity, except to say that equality is not equity, because men's and women's lives are different (pages 7 and 8). With selective choice of criteria and a focus solely on women, there is great scope for fundamentally inequitable outcomes.

Under "Guidelines for Action" (page 24), there is a sub-heading, "Consultation". There are 5 points - four refer to consultation with women:

"Consultation

• Begin consultation with women at the outset of the policy process to enable accurate scoping of the issue.
• Consider whether groups or individual women should be consulted, the time of day, appropriateness of venue, in particular whether it can be accessed by women with disabilities, how the meeting is to be run, the use of appropriate language, a signer (for those who are deaf or hearing impaired) and provision of accessible and affordable childcare.
• Consult with different groups of women to reflect the different issues affecting women.
• Allow adequate time for women and especially Maori women to consult amongst themselves as part of the process of forming a view."

The fifth is:

What do you think?

• begin consulting with men at the outset?

or

• consider whether groups or individual men should be consulted, the time of day.......?

or

• consult with different groups of men?

or

• allow men time to consult amongst themselves?

In fact, it is none of these. The fifth is:

"............

• Seek the advice and assistance of the Ministry of Women's affairs on key gender-specific issues concerning social and political policy development."

On page 8 there is the claim that:

"Gender analysis provides a basis for robust analysis of the differences between women's and men's lives, and this removes the possibility of analysis being based on incorrect assumptions and stereotypes."

I do not see how it can do this when there is no provision for equal consultation with men.

Nor do I see how such a one-sided and loosely defined approach can possibly meet the claim in the title of the document that it gives "the full picture".

Gender analysis appears to be the approach taken by the Law Commission's Women's Access to Justice Project.

Meanwhile the Office of the Commissioner for Children is running a project called "Fathers Who Care: Partners in Parenting". According to their approach:

"We plan to ascertain the views of children, men and women in relation to their perceptions of fathering and co-parenting."

(from letter sent to interested parties, late May 1997)

Stuart Birks

29 May 1997

Last updated 6 June, 1997