Bringing a Gender, Social Inclusion, and Intersectional Lens to Monitoring and Evaluation

Imagine you're building a lighthouse.

Your Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) system is the tower, sturdy and functional, designed to stand the test of time. But the lens at the top? That’s your gender, social inclusion, and intersectional focus—it determines how much light your system shines and where it illuminates. Without this lens, your lighthouse might only light up the obvious, leaving marginalized groups in the shadows.

Let’s explore how you can craft an M&E system that not only gathers data but does so equitably, inclusively, and with nuance. Think of this as upgrading your lighthouse to ensure it shines for everyone.

1. Start with Inclusive Questions: "Who’s at the Table?"

Every M&E journey begins with questions. But if your questions only reflect the experiences of the majority, you’ll miss critical voices. Instead, ask:

• Who benefits from this program? Who doesn’t?
• How do gender, disability, age, or ethnicity shape access to resources?
• Are we asking questions in ways that marginalized groups can comfortably respond to?

For example, In an education project, instead of simply asking, “How many children attended school?”, ask:

• How many girls, boys, or nonbinary children attended?
• How did children with disabilities or those from minority ethnic groups experience school?

This way, you move beyond the numbers to understand dynamics that can lead to exclusion.

2. Conduct a Gender Analysis

A gender analysis fine-tunes your M&E lens, helping you understand how gender roles and power dynamics shape access, participation, and benefits. It’s about asking: Who does what? Who owns what? Who decides?

A 'light touch' Gender Analysis in Three Steps

1. Map Roles and Responsibilities - Use a quick activity chart to see how men, women, and others spend their time.
2. Check Access and Control - Separate focus groups can reveal barriers to resources like land, finances, or training.
3. Spot Gendered Outcomes - Disaggregate your data by gender to identify who’s benefiting—or being left behind.

For example, in a water project, a gender analysis might reveal that women spend hours fetching water and face safety risks. With this insight, you can redesign systems to improve access and security for all.

3. Data Collection: "Use the Right Net"

Fishing with a wide net might seem efficient, but what if you need to catch specific fish? Your tools—surveys, interviews, focus groups—must be designed to capture the nuanced experiences of different groups.

Tips for Inclusive Data Collection

• Disaggregate your data by gender, age, disability, income level, and ethnicity.
• Ensure data collection tools are accessible (e.g., use sign language interpreters or materials in Braille).
• Hire enumerators who reflect the diversity of the community—they’re more likely to build trust and gather honest responses.

To give another example, in a livelihoods project, an evaluation team used gender-disaggregated surveys and found that while men reported an increase in income, women didn’t. Further probing revealed that women’s earnings were spent on family needs, leaving no disposable income for personal growth—an insight that would’ve been lost without disaggregated data.

4. Analyse with an Intersectional Lens: "See the Whole Picture"

Intersectionality is like looking through a kaleidoscope—it reveals how overlapping identities (e.g., being a Black woman with a disability) create unique experiences of privilege or oppression.

When analysing data, go beyond single categories. For instance:

• Instead of concluding, “Our programme benefits 70% of women,” ask: Which women? Are rural women experiencing the same benefits as urban women?Are older women accessing the program as easily as younger women?

Let's use another practical example. In a health project, data showed that women in a particular community were attending prenatal clinics. But intersectional analysis revealed that adolescent mothers weren’t—due to stigma and lack of childcare. This insight led to targeted outreach, ensuring all women benefited.

5. Representation Matters - "Who’s Holding the Mic?"

If your evaluation team lacks diversity, you’re likely to miss critical perspectives. Representation isn’t just a box to tick—it’s a game-changer.

Recruit evaluators from marginalized communities. If that’s not possible, involve community members as co-researchers or advisors. Their lived experiences will ground your findings in reality.

In a water access project, engaging women from the local community as part of the evaluation team revealed that water collection points were unsafe after dark—a finding male evaluators might not have uncovered.

6. Make Reporting Meaningful

Finally, how you present your findings determines whether they spark action or collect dust. Reports should resonate with decision-makers while centering the voices of those most affected.

Tips for Inclusive Reporting:

• Include case studies or quotes from marginalised individuals to humanize your data.
• Use visuals like infographics to highlight disparities in access or outcomes.
• Share findings with the community—let them validate your conclusions and co-create solutions.

For example, an evaluation of a microfinance program revealed that women were reluctant to take loans due to fear of harassment from male-dominated bank staff. By including women’s testimonies in the report, the organization prioritized training bank staff on gender sensitivity—a direct outcome of inclusive reporting.

When you design M&E systems with a gender, social inclusion, and intersectional lens, you’re not just gathering data—you’re challenging systems of inequity and ensuring no one is left behind. Think of your M&E system as a lighthouse that doesn’t just warn ships of danger but guides them safely to shore, ensuring every vessel—large or small, near or far—can navigate successfully.

Let’s ensure your lighthouse shines for everyone.