The GAD Approach is based on the premise that gender equality is not only a fundamental human right concern but also a necessary foundation for a peaceful and prosperous sustainable world.
GAD was primarily focused on promoting women’s empowerment and ensuring their full participation in the development processes at community level. GAD worked so hard to eradicate gender biases to fully release the potential of women so that they could perform active roles in the development process. As such, GAD was not just focused on women but it addressed the social/power /gender relations between men and women in the public and private space. Through the integration of the GAD Approach in developmental work, there has been tremendous progress made over the years; more girls are getting an education, fewer girls are forced into early and unwanted marriages, more women are serving in elective and leadership positions, and more gender sensitive laws are being enacted.
It helped to eliminate discrimination in society, the fact that women were oppressed especially with regard to sexual division of labor, gender-based violence, lack of access to and control over resources and lack of autonomy even in the private spheres of life. It foregrounded the productive and reproductive roles of women by emphasizing how these were interrelated and how they impacted the individual and collective agency of women. It focused on the impact of development on the lives of both men and women. The same approach helped women to access control of resources and manage them. For example, it was evident that women may participated actively in development processes they did not necessarily benefit from that development. However, GAD aspires that woman become both actors and beneficiaries of the development processes
More importantly, GAD calls for the achievement of Decent Work For All Women and Men for sustainable development and achievement of equity and growth. Some of the Key equality claims in the workplace include: Equality of opportunity and treatment in employment; equal remuneration for work of equal value; equal access to safe and healthy working environments and to social security; equality in association and collective bargaining; equality in obtaining meaningful career development; a balance between work and home life that is fair to both women and men; and equal participation in decision-making at all levels.
It emphasizes the role of the state in bringing about gender equality by implementing gender sensitive policies for example Gender affirmative action (the women quotas in politics) the national gender policies that provide for mandates to other government programs and parastatals to implement the 30% of women inclusion in the leadership positions, projects and other programs initiated by governments. For example, in Kenya Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO) requires that 30% of all government procurement goes to women and youth. . This was derived from “Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action” of 1995 and “Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) to assist the self-help efforts of developing countries towards realizing international commitments to achieve empowerment of women and gender equality.
GAD recognizes women in the public spheres especially those in policies and other decision making positions both in government and private sector spaces. It also appreciates that women can be paid equal or more than men than it was before. It has also helped to examine structural and systemic inequalities by questioning why women have been systematically assigned inferior and secondary roles and also questions of power and agency”. The GAD approach followed and focused on larger inequities and unequal relations to advocate for a deeper understanding of the socially constructed basis of gender differences and how these impacts on relationships between men and women can managed to avoid discriminations.
GAD has helped many countries to develop national gender policies. These polices have not only been able to help women but also help the marginalized people to take part in the decision making at different levels. For example the marginalized populations without discrimination of race, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, physical ability, language, and/or immigration status.
The same policies have contributed to achievement of gender equality and women’s empowerment in national development policies so as to enhance participation of women and men, boys and girls, vulnerable and marginalized groups to attain sustainable development. In Uganda today, these issues have planned for in the National Development III (NDP), that commenced in 2020 May, it has also been reflected in the in the Vision 2040 all aligned to Sustainable development goals (SDGs) 2030, Africa agenda 2063, the Eastern and Southern African commitment 2013, the Maputo protocol. The same approach has helped in addressing gender inequalities between men and women in society. The Ministry of Gender Labour and Social Development (MGLSD) introduced the Youth Livelihood fund and Uganda women entrepreneurship fund to cater for the youth and women fund. However much these funds have had their own challenges, there is still hope that they will work better when streamlined to the beneficiaries’ priorities.

However, the gains made notwithstanding, the GAD approach has faced a myriad of challenges in its implementation; discriminatory laws and social norms remain pervasive, women continue to be underrepresented at all levels of political leadership, and 1 in 5 women and girls between the ages of 15 and 49 report experiencing physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner within a 12-month period.
To further add to this the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic threatens to reverse the gains made over the years in terms of gender equality and women rights. As witnessed globally, the corona virus pandemic exacerbated existing inequalities for woman and girls across the spectrum, be it from health, to the economy or even social protection and sexual and reproductive health.
Important to note, women form a majority of the front line responders to the virus, both at the hospital and at home based care level. Unfortunately, this burden has increased an already burdensome unpaid care work for women significantly. Dishearten, the pandemic has also led to a steep increase in violence against women and girls. With lockdown measures in place, many women are trapped at home with their abusers, struggling to access services that are suffering from cuts and restrictions. Emerging data shows that, since the outbreak of the pandemic, violence against women and girls and particularly domestic violence – has intensified.
However GAD has had limitations in ensuring proper and effective implementation of the project
When GAD was initiated, it brought the idea of men into the picture in the development planning and twisted the focus on men than women. Making its priority of elimination gender discriminations by focusing on women instead it gave tension to men. Which has made men to benefit the programs than women because of the already existing societal patriarchy sentiments. For example in planning it provides for gender balance of 30%. As long as women are given 30% are denied the opportunities of participation in the 70%. Women are also denied opportunities to participate fully in the mainstream politics because of the women representation/quotas. The male feel the power over women when it comes to mainstream politics because of the women quotas provisions in the gender policies. This kind of feminization of such positions in power, always makes a woman to appear at an assistant/deputy of which such one doesn’t have fully power to make decisions over the majority.
e.g BBI the proposed constitutional reviews in Kenya, has got one of the provisions, that say “If one vies for governor and is a male, then the female has to be the assistant” . And the runners up becomes automatically the deputy. However the same provision is very silent in the situation, where the governor is male and his runners up is male too. What happens to the proposed agenda in this scenario? Remember the society is also male dominated in public space with control over resources over their counter parts women. This makes Women weaker with no influence over power. The deputy position becomes a ceremonial position, that can’t change issues. The GAD approach ends up hurting women than its intended specific priorities to gap the societal gender disparities.
A lot has been done to ensure GAD bridges the gender discriminations for example prof. Kabira Wanjiku talks about the need to talk about women than gender issues, in order to be clear and specific about women needs and wants ( Time for Harvest 2012). It is a brilliant exposition of the sheer ingenuity, perseverance and tenacity to contribute to the attainment of an all-inclusive Constitution that banishes, inter alia, gender discrimination in all spheres of life, including social, economic, cultural, and political spheres.
All in all, GAD has recognized women in public spheres especially those in public and other decision making spaces. It has also appreciated the fact that women can have equal pay. It certainly places women at a decision making table than the women in development approach that didn’t consider mainstream and making inclusive policies for active women participation.
As we build the moment on generation equality; we must focus on building the society that is not discrimination, harness the full potentials of all social regardless of sex, promotion of enjoyment of fundamental human rights and protect the health, social, economic and political wellbeing of all citizens.
Author Contact:
Ms. Caroline Owashaba
Gender, women and and climate change activist/advocate.
[email protected]