Ilo evaluation

3.6Gender assessment

The evaluators have used the DCED framework as a reference for gender mainstreaming in SCORE. This framework attracts attention for 1) an explicit choice of the approach, 2) the result chain, 3) indicators, 4) gender responsive management and 5) measuring the change. These five considerations are used in this assessment of the SCORE training programme.
The evaluators observe that in response to lessons learned from SCORE Phase I, various measure were taken to better mainstream gender in result chains, implementation and monitoring in each country. Measures have been taken in four focus areas.

1. 
   Relating to training improve gender mainstreaming and the gender balance of participants and trainers.
   
2. 
   At the enterprises improve awareness of gender issues with workers and managers and prompt the adoption of gender sensitive polices or practices.
   
3. 
   In communication, advocacy and partnerships design messages and use communication channels to deliver gender messages more widely, highlight SCORE’s commitment to gender equity and improve outreach to female (or male minority) beneficiaries.
   
4. 
   Ensure that professionals have a common understanding of gender and the desired effects on sustainable development.
   

Countries report on these four focus areas. Reports show evidence of changes in trainer recruitment to ensure that female trainers are included in training groups. In training of trainers’ courses, a specific gender module is delivered and gender-specific materials are prepared. At the enterprise level specific efforts are made to constitute mixed Enterprise Improvement Teams (all countries), including the use of gender sensitive checklists for improvements and introduction of gender practices. Participation in SCORE training is also mixed and female owned and led enterprises are especially targeted to participate in trainings. At ILO global headquarters, a gender online course is available and followed by four national SCORE teams. Training on gender has been provided to both staff and trainers. At the level of policy influencing, all case studies are gender mainstreamed. In addition, teams have been encouraged to develop case studies with as gender specific focus, for example on women-led enterprises or women in EITs. Such case studies have been produced in Ghana, Colombia, India and Vietnam. In Indonesia social media (twitter) is used to inform on gender issues in companies.

Gender mainstreaming at country level

All countries work with a reasonable gender balance of trainers, which at present is on average 33%. Most national SCORE teams put the target around 30%. Also at the level of SME staff members trained and in the Enterprise Improvement Teams a significant number of women participate. Only in India, the participation of women in trainer groups and among training audiences is lagging behind other countries. In India only 9% of the trainers are female and none of them are certified.

The SCORE country teams report that modules 1 and 4 are adapted to include gender and in some cases PowerPoint presentations were changed to include a gender-perspective. Mainstreaming of gender in the modules is ongoing, having a focus on localized versions of the modules intervening on priority areas in occurring gender issues. It is more difficult to find evidence of changes in the training material due to the fact that it is available in national languages. At the moment of evaluation, the published SCORE global framework of learning goals per subject-module (curriculum framework) for participants is gender neutral: competences or learning outcomes to be achieved do include social skills, but these are not yet engendered by defining specific gender-skills related to these targeted social skills. At lesson level it is observed that the trainer guide on SCORE has clear guidelines on teaching methods and its effect on women and men in classroom behaviour and learning. Visuals used are increasingly gender sensitive and they avoid confirming stereotyped job behaviour. Recently national SCORE teams have started to present testimonials and case-studies in their quarterly reporting showing a change in practice affecting gender relations, supporting monitoring and learning on outcome changes in the companies. The evaluators have not visited teaching classes and beneficiary satisfaction is not measured on specific criteria. Therefore little can be said about gender sensitive teaching in practice, but systems changes have increased the opportunity that gender-sensitive teaching is applied in practice. Interviews with SCORE trainers generally confirm that they are aware of the importance in SCORE training.
The advances made in SCORE on gender, as a follow-up on the previous SCORE evaluation, can be considered impressive, particularly when considering that these efforts have only been recent (from 2014) and already produced significant changes. Gender mainstreaming means that national teams integrate the gender lens in all activities they are doing, without hiring external professionals. At ILO headquarters, a gender specialist in the SCORE global team combines her gender competencies with communication activities and programme management.

Women Empowerment

Nevertheless, some areas of improvement can be identified. These improvements are connected to the search for systemic change and as such supporting the ILO strategy for sustainable enterprise development towards gender equity. Although SCORE has not an explicit focus on economic empowerment, the latter is part of sustainable enterprise development and labour relations. The evaluation used the WEE principles to assess SCORE gender efforts. Gender analyses at sector level. ILO opted for different sectors. Some sectors are predominantly female (like tourism) others more male (furniture industry) or they are mixed. ILO engaged a gender specialist to work with the national project managers to identify national gender situations and barriers. This was part of the preparation for the national plans, but it happened after the sectors were chosen and not before. More attention to gender specific and sensitive areas like mobility, income and violence/safety is needed. For example, to what extent are behaviour changes resulting from SCORE interventions spilling over into other aspects of household life? Or, if women’s and men’s roles are changing in decision making in the targeted companies as a result of SCORE activities, are their roles in other economic or non-economic activities changing as well? Need for no harm analyses: What are risks for women and men, when being more empowered and use this after working hours?