Gender Analysis Competency Framework

Overview

The Gender Analysis Competency Framework is a description of the knowledge, skills and behaviours required to conduct gender analysis. The framework outlines the core competencies for varying levels of experience.

The Framework is broken into three sections:

1. The 5 W’s (What, Why, Where, When and Who of Gender Analysis)
2.  How: Applying Gender Analysis
3. Organizational and Cultural Support

While the competencies are separated out into individual categories, they are clearly interrelated.

The framework identifies three levels of competence: Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced. These do not necessarily align with seniority.

1. Basic: Appropriate for those who are interested in understanding gender analysis or expected to participate in part of the process; or for senior leaders who need to know how to commission and interpret gender analyses.
2. Intermediate: Appropriate for those practicing gender analyses in day-to-day work; or for those expected to work with experts.
3. Advanced: Appropriate for gender advisors or those working in the area of gender equity; or for those who need to be experts in gender analysis.

The framework is appropriate for several applications:

• Individual assessment: Individuals can use this framework to evaluate their own competency levels for gender analysis, and use it as a guide for professional development planning.
• Team assessment: Managers can use this framework to evaluate a team’s capacity to apply gender analysis and identify opportunities for improvement by mapping team members’ skill and knowledge levels. The framework could inform managers’ decisions on recruitment, performance management and planning for capacity building.
• Organization development: Senior leaders can use the framework to identify expertise and gaps within the organization and to align the organization for gender analysis.
• Resource development: This framework can be used as a reference guide for the development of training programs, resource lists and other learning opportunities.

This framework is intended for assessing individual-level competencies. However, for gender analysis experts to be effective, they need to operate in a supportive organizational context. This includes: leadership support (including at least a basic level of gender analysis competency on the part of leaders) as well as resources (time, money, personnel) for individuals to develop the competencies and to execute gender analysis. Without these organizational supports, investing in the development of individuals’ competencies will have limited impact.

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Download the Gender Analysis Competency Framework document.

This document was prepared by the Institute for Gender and the Economy with financial support from Women and Gender Equality Canada.

It is available for you to adapt for your own uses, with proper credit to the original source. Please cite this document as: Institute for Gender and the Economy, “Gender Analysis Competency Matrix”, 2020, www.gendereconomy.org/gender-analysis-competency-framework.