Integrating gender perspectives into research and projects

Gender is relevant in many fields of research, which is shown with examples in a report from Norway (Korsvik & Rustad, 2018). The examples are gathered in areas, such as food, agriculture and fishing, energy, the environment and the climate.

Together with researchers at SLU, the Grants Office has compiled materials on this that clarify the difference between sex and gender and between having a gender balance in the research team and gender perspectives in the research question. Questions answered are: “How do you know if your research has a gender dimension?” and “How do you address the gender dimension?”.

Checklist for integrating gender equality into research projects

To integrate gender perspectives in a research project, review the various phases of the project: when it is initiated, implemented and when conclusions are drawn. The starting point is to conduct a gender analysis, where a key question is: Who?

• Who has access to the resources?
• Who has opportunities and choices?
• Who has power and can make their voice heard?
• Who has security (human security)?

This is different for women and men, girls and boys. There are also intersectional aspects, i.e. how different identities and power structures interact.

• Conduct a fast gender analysis of your project and answer who has: access to resources,
  opportunities and choices, power and a voice, security in the various phases of your project:
• When the project is initiated
  - Question: What is the problem?
  - Design of the project
• When the project is carried out
  - How can the problem be addressed during the implementation of the project?
  - The project as a workplace
• Conclusions
  - Answer the question: how can the problem be solved?
  - Results and consequences
• How would your project be able to be different – and improved – if gender equality were integrated/handled more systematically in various phases of the project?

The checklist is based on a lecture by Åsa Eldén, presented at a seminar arranged by the SLU Global Network on 12 September 2019. Åsa Eldén has together with researchers at SLU developed a guidance note to how gender equality can be integrated in a project. The main target group are researchers and project managers at SLU who are working with development in low- and middle income countries.

• Read more in the document Integrating gender equality in a project – a guidance note.

Get support

If you have questions about integrating gender perspectives in research applications, you can contact the Grants Office: grantsoffice@slu.se

For further information

• Korsvik, T. R. & Rustad, L. M., 2018. What is the gender dimension in research? Case studies in interdisciplinary research. Norway: Kilden genderresearch.no. (available at https://kjonnsforskning.no/en/gender-dimension-research)
• Grants Office at SLU has a lot of advice for proposal writing regarding gender/sex dimensions in research. https://internt.slu.se/en/gender