How to do a gender impact assessment

• Define the problem your policy, service or program is trying to solve and make sure this definition considers how gender shapes the issues.
• Identify the issues your policy, program or service is aiming to solve.
• Using key questions, think about how gender and other factors might shape the policy issue, program or service you are working on.

Gender impact assessment template 1 supports this step.

This step works best when incorporated early in the process of developing a new policy, program or service.

Ask yourself

• What else do you need to focus on to consider the different ways women, men and gender non-binary people access and experience this issue?
• Do you think that everyone who accesses this policy, program or service has the same needs from it?
• Do the different social roles and responsibilities that people take on affect the way people access and use this policy, program or service?

• Collect evidence to understand how gender shapes the context.
• Consider the information you already have.
• Think about how to use internal data, desktop research and stakeholder engagement to investigate further.

Gender impact assessment template 2 supports this step.

This is where you can refer to our Data sources for conducting a gender impact assessment(opens in a new window) page for a list of statistics and resources to support this step.

If you’re short on resources or time, thinking about the best way to get the evidence you need is crucial.

Ask yourself

• What can we find out from data, research and stakeholder engagement?
• Who is likely to be affected?
• What are the lived experiences of diverse groups?
• What different impacts may be likely for different people?

• Develop an option or options for your policy, program or service and weigh up the gendered impacts.
• Use the information you have gathered in Steps 1 and 2 to develop an option or options for your proposed policy, program or service.
• Consider the gendered benefits and costs and overall gender impact of the option(s).

Gender impact assessment template 3 supports this step.

This step pulls together all the analysis you have undertaken in Steps 1 and 2.

Ask yourself

• What are the potential policy options and what gendered impact might they have?
• Will some people benefit more because they have greater access, or does this policy, program or service do everything it can to make sure resources are distributed and used equally?
• Will it contribute to transforming gender norms in a positive way?
• Does your policy, program or service potentially have negative unintended consequences for certain groups of people?

• Make a final recommendation based on the evidence collected and analysis conducted.
• Document what evidence has been used to inform your final recommendation.
• Draft a recommendation and provide a rationale for the solution proposed.
• Consider any mitigation strategies that may be needed.

Gender impact assessment template 4 supports this step.

This step also contains a checklist to ensure you have completed all the necessary steps.

Ask yourself

• Based on the evidence, what is the recommended approach?
• How does this approach meet the needs of people of different genders address gender inequality and promote gender equality?