In this module, we're going to look at step one, for conducting a GIA, define the issues and challenge assumptions.
Here we want to define the problem that your policy, service or program is trying to address. And we want to make sure that this definition considers how gender shapes the issues. So, the aim here is really to challenge those internal biases and assumptions that we have and build an understanding of how issues of gender, but also other identities, race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, age, socio-economic background and so forth, how all of these shape how a policy, program or service might be used or experienced by different groups or individuals.
So, here we want to identify the issues that your policy, program or service is aiming to address, based on all of those things, and using key questions, we need to think about how gender and those other factors might shape the policy issue, program or service that you're working on. Now we can see the template icon there. And this step works best when it's incorporated early with the template used to support this step. It's also really important that you don't brainstorm on this alone, that it's not a singular, staff member, doing this process, but that you actually work collaboratively with your team and have diverse lived experiences, diverse voices at the table for this for this step.
So, here we need to think about what else do you need to focus on to consider the different ways women, men and gender non-binary people access the and experience the issue. Do you think that everyone who accesses this policy, program or service has the same needs from it? Do you think that different social roles and responsibilities that people take on might affect the way they access and use this policy, program or service, and what other intersectional lenses can we add here to think about other experiences of your policy, program or service?
Thinking about this very simple hypothetical case study of a public transport safety policy, we're going to look at how we might start to think about applying this template and the GIA process, to how to conduct a GIA.
So, this very simple hypothetical case study of a public transport safety policy is looking at safety measures across a public transport system. And this is going to have a direct and significant impact on the public as it determines implementation priorities and processes for transport safety initiatives and responds to the most pressing safety challenges related to public usage of trains, buses, and trams. So, as part of a policy development team, hypothetically speaking, you're responsible for determining the pressing safety challenges for uses of your train, bus and trans network, how are you going to ensure a gender lens is applied to this work?
So, thinking about this in terms of step one, we want to think about what are some of our assumptions and how would we define this issue?
So, without using a gender lens the scope of this issue might be defined as, how would we design and implement public transport safety initiatives that work for everyone.
Now that is very business as usual, not very specific. And it is not applying that gender lens.
Now we want to think about how we would apply a gender lens to this particular policy or problem that we're working on.
So, if you think about the hypothetical case study again, thinking about brainstorming, what are some of those gender differences in how people currently access and experience that particular service? Are there any differences based on gender in particular? So, are there different caring responsibilities that women might undertake, maybe different reasons for accessing a train or a public transport service? Are there gender differences in barriers to access? So can we think about maybe different perceptions of safety. How might other intersecting factors such as socio-economic status, age, disability, be better taken into account to understanding this user experience and challenges.
So, at this step, you might want to have a look at template one, and think about brainstorming, this process, again thinking about this process for what it means to apply a gender lens to this hypothetical, or indeed any hypothetical.
Take a moment to think about those questions around gender differences in access and experience gender differences in barriers to access, and also what are the other intersectional factors that might help us to understand user experience and challenges.
Hopefully you've had a moment to think about that.
But really here it's just thinking about this process of getting our brainstorming. We don't need to have the answers at this stage, but just thinking about applying a gender lens so that this issue is brought in to consider the following. So, what are those gendered differences in how people currently access a particular policy, program or service in this hypothetical case study, the use of public transport?
How do gender roles and responsibilities perhaps related to caregiving, how will they influence the use of public transport? How do other intersecting factors such as socio-economic status or age or ethnicity or any other factors, how might they influence the access, use, and experience of public transport?
Can you think about any gaps in stakeholder engagement from different communities or potential solutions for different community needs, and think about how you might go about getting that information in the next step?
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