Gender-Based Analysis (GBA)

Guide for CFLI Applicants

In 2017, Canada adopted a Feminist International Assistance Policy to advance gender equality and the
empowerment of women and girls as the most effective way to reduce poverty and build a more inclusive,
peaceful and prosperous world. In alignment with this policy, a Gender-Based Analysis (GBA) is a required
element of the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI) project application process.

The Gender-Based Analysis is not intended to be an overly onerous requirement for CFLI applicants. It will
require you to: 1) consider how women, girls, men, and boys are affected differently by the problem the
project is seeking to address; 2) consider how other identity factors (such as, race, religion, age) contribute
to these experiences; (3) consult women and/or girls in the development of your project proposal; (4)
incorporate the findings from questions #1, #2, and #3 in the project design.

This guide provides applicants with information to support you in carrying out a GBA. It includes the types
of questions you should be asking when gathering information; provides examples of what to look for
when completing the analysis; defines key terms and concepts; and provides links to additional resource
material.

A GBA for CFLI projects should be conducted prior to the submission of your CFLI application. The GBA
should not exceed two pages single spaced (maximum!). Inadequate completion of a GBA may affect the
consideration of your project proposal.

What is a Gender-based Analysis (GBA)?

A gender-based analysis (GBA) is a tool to both understand the local context and to support gender
equality. A GBA examines the relationships between men and women, girls and boys, their access to
resources, their activities, and the constraints they face relative to each other in a particular context. It
identifies the varied roles played by women and men, girls and boys in the household, community,
workplace, political processes and economy. These different roles often result in women having less
access to and control over resources, and less participation and influence in decision-making processes.
A GBA also considers how other intersecting identity factors such as race, ethnicity, LGBTQ2I, legal
status, ability, language, religion, socio-economic status, and education, affect individual and group
experiences, including among women and among men. Gender equality is not exclusively about
women’s or girls’ issues and is not only about working with or for women and girls. Men’s and boys’
engagement is critical.

A GBA provides key planning information for an initiative to define project objectives and activities that
support gender equality, and is essential in ensuring that an initiative is based on evidence and analysis
rather than assumptions. If a gender-based analysis is not conducted, the project could unintentionally
reinforce gender inequalities. The achievement of project results and their sustainability could also be
negatively affected by not recognizing and addressing gender-based barriers to equality.
Step-By-Step Review of GBA Questions in the CFLI Application for Funding

Question #1 and question #2 may be answered together (i.e. combined into one response) given that
other identity factors (such as, race, religion, and age) intersect with gender and affect the
experiences of women, girls, men and boys.

Question #1: How are women, men, boys and girls affected differently by the problem your
project is seeking to address?

In any particular context, women, men, boys and girls experience life differently or similarly based on
gender. Your response to this question should share the main finding of your gender-based analysis
(GBA) (as defined above) that is specific to your project context and objective.

For example, if your project is addressing the issue of climate change in a local community you may find
that women and girls are disproportionately affected by climate change, relative to men. For example:

● Climate change has a significant impact on securing household water, food, and fuel, which
are activities that are usually the responsibility of women and girls;
● Girls are the first to drop out of school to help their mothers secure food and water,
compared to boys;
● Women’s lack of economic empowerment means that women have less savings and
resources to support themselves, compared to men, during times of drought and rainfall;
and, the poorest women in a marginalized ethnic minority group have even less access to
resources to fall back on.
● Women, girls and boys will be less likely than men to migrate and leave a local community
affected by climate change due to caregiving responsibilities (caring for children, elderly,
and sick family members).

As such, if your project is holding community-level workshops to discuss climate change adaptation
strategies, women and girls should be included in discussions since they have specific viewpoints, needs,
and interests.

*Applicants are not expected to address all of the particular findings from a gender-based analysis in a
CFLI project, only where relevant to the project objective and determination of activities.

Question #2: How do other identity factors of women, men, boys, and girls influence their
experiences of the problem?

Question #1 and question #2 may be answered together (i.e. combined into one response) given that
other identity factors (such as, race, religion, and age) intersect with gender and affect the
experiences of women, girls, men and boys.
As noted above, other identity factors ( such as race, ethnicity, LGBTQ2I, legal status, ability, language,
religion, socio-economic status, and education) intersect with gender and may further affect individual
and group experiences, including among women and among men. These various identity factors may
influence how diverse groups of men and women experience the problem you are seeking to address.

When carrying out your consultations, gathering information, and conducting your analysis, you may
want to consider how different identity factors contribute to how your project beneficiaries experience
a problem.

Projects and activities may be designed with these specific experiences and needs in mind.

Identity factors you may consider, include, but are not limited to:

o Race
o Ethnicity
o LGBTQ2I
o Legal Status
o Ability
o Language
o Religion
o Socio-economic status
o Education

Examples:

1. Rural women may face greater barriers to voting than urban women because they have to travel
farther to reach voting booths. Greater distance increases the risk of sexual and gender-based violence
during travel. If your project aims to address low voter turnout among women you may want to
implement activities that address the particular challenges faced by rural women, such as: lobbying for
a voting stations closer to the community; and engaging the community to ensure the security of
women while traveling and returning from voting stations, and while at them.

2. Refugees from a religious minority group may have particular psychological needs due to the
specific form of oppression and violence they have experienced. If your project is providing
psychological support to refugees you will need to understand the experience of female refugees vs
male refugees. You may also consider how female and male refugees from a religious minority group
have particular needs. This will inform how to respond to the needs of different groups through the type
of psychological support you are providing.

Question #3:

a) Were women and/or girls consulted on the project? Describe who was consulted
and how.
● Consultations help implementing organizations better understand the realities of the women, girls,
men and boys whose lives may be impacted by planned CFLI projects. If you are involved in activities
that have the power to change the local context and people’s lives, it is essential to ensure those
activities are informed by voices of the individuals you are targeting. Consultations are also
recommended to ensure projects are not based on wrong assumptions.

● In particular, women and girls are often excluded from planning and consultation processes related
to development activities, or they attend and are not asked to speak, or they speak and are not
heard. As such, consultations with women and/or girls support their empowerment and recognize
women and girls as critical agents of change in their societies.

● Consultations can include, but are not limited to:

o speaking to women and/or girls from the local community;
o speaking to women and other individuals who work for civil society organizations that have
worked in the local community; and,
o speaking to female and male decision and change-makers who have knowledge of the local
community.

If you are unsure about the type of questions to ask during consultations here are some ideas: (Note
that applicants are not required to ask all of the questions below. They are only provided as examples.)

o What problems do you experience in your community and/or sector?

o How does the problem affect you and other women and/or girls?
o Does the problem affect men and/or boys differently?
o Do women and men have equal access to and control over resources?
o What are solutions to the problem (insert the issue your project is addressing)?
o What role would you (women and or girls) want to play in the solution and how the project
will implement it?
o How could men and/or boys be engaged to implement the solutions to the problem the
project is seeking to address (ex: gender inequalities)?

b) How have you considered facilitating the participation of women and/or girls in the
project? In what roles?

In order to encourage the participation of women and/or girls in project activities, applicants should
reflect on barriers that may prevent equal participation. Projects should try to incorporate strategies to
overcome these barriers.

● Are there certain cultural constraints and supports to equal participation in specific activities
by women and men?
● Did consultations with women and/or girls identify any barriers to participation and
recommendations on how to address them?
Due to gender inequalities, some special efforts and resources may be required to encourage and
facilitate the participation of women and/or girls in project activities or as implementers of activities.
● Examples: holding targeted workshops for women and/or girls; holding activities during certain
days/times of the day; getting buy-in from men and/or boys, community leaders, and traditional
leaders; providing childcare during the course of project activities or allowing children to attend
activities, etc.

Question #4:

a) How did you incorporate the findings from your gender-based analysis (responses
to question #1 and #2) in the project design?

Findings on the different ways that diverse groups of women and girls, and men and boys experience
the problem (detailed in your responses to question #1 and #2) should be incorporated into the project
design, where relevant to the project. For example, if in your GBA you determined that women
journalists, particularly women indigenous journalists, experience barriers in accessing information and
publishing, as well as sexism in their workplace, you may want to try and address this issue in your
project activities. This could include: (1) incorporating a module on gender equality in a conference,
training, and/or workshop; (2), ensuring at least 50% of participants are women journalists at your
conference, training, and/or workshop, and inviting female speakers; (3) holding meetings with
prominent male journalists to communicate issues of gender inequality in journalism and providing tips
for addressing this challenge.

b) Has the feedback from the consultations with women and/or girls (question #3 a)
shaped the project design?

Feedback from consultations with women and/or girls (question #3) should be incorporated into the
project design, where relevant to the project. In this section applicants should describe what feedback
they incorporated in the project design and how. It is not useful simply to consult with women and/or
girls if their viewpoints and suggestions are not heard and acted on.
Definition of Terms

Gender Equality: Women and men, girls and boys enjoy the same status and equal opportunity for
realizing their full human rights; to contribute to national, political, economic, social and cultural
development; and to benefit from the results. Gender Equality is an ideal. It has not been achieved but it
is something we are working towards.

Gender Equity: Gender equity is being fair to women and men. To ensure fairness, measures are often
needed to compensate for historical and social disadvantages that prevent women and men from
otherwise operating as equals. Equity leads to equality.

Sex: The biological and physiological characteristics that define male vs female persons.

Gender: The roles, behaviours, expressions, and identities that a given society may construct or consider
appropriate for women, girls, men, and boys - what it means to be “masculine” and “feminine”, what roles
they have, etc. Gender determines how people see themselves and each other, and how people act and
interact. Such constructs can lead to gender stereotypes and limited expectations about what women
and girls and men and boys can and cannot do.

LGBTQ2I: An acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, two-spirit, and intersex people.
There are many different acronyms that may be used by various communities

Resources

Status of Women Canada: Introduction to Gender-Based Analysis + Online Course

Government of Canada: Gender Analysis