INEE Network Spaces

Gender Working Group

The impact and experience of emergency situations is profoundly different for girls, women, boys and men. They face different threats and risks, and have different response and coping mechanisms for dealing with the effects of crisis. In such contexts, educational needs change and different barriers for boys and girls often emerge, with girls usually experiencing greater disadvantage. Understanding these dynamics and reflecting them in education policy and programming is critical to ensuring access to safe and quality education for all.

Objectives

The INEE Gender Working Group (formerly the Gender Task Team) is a member-led community of practice for actors engaged in Gender and EiE to work collaboratively to raise awareness and visibility, promote understanding, and advance action on gender-responsive EiE. The Working Group focuses on the production of practical resources, strengthened knowledge-sharing, evidence and advocacy, specifically:

  • Practice: Produce, disseminate and promote the use of practical gender resources for EiE practitioners and policy-makers

  • Collaboration: Promote collaborative action and knowledge-sharing across key actors working on gender, education and emergencies.

  • Evidence Building: Identify gaps and priorities for research on Gender and EiE to influence and promote the coordination of research initiatives across key EiE actors.

  • Advocacy: Advocate for greater attention and support for gender-responsive EiE amongst donors and humanitarian agencies.

Members

graph showing the demographics of the GWGMembership of the GWG was refreshed in 2022. The GWG now has 56 members, representing 26 countries and 41 organizations. The GWG is open to anyone who is interested in gender and education issues in contexts of crisis and fragility. If you are interested in participating in this Working Group, please send an introductory email to the GWG email address (gender@inee.org) indicating your interest. If you are interested in this work but are not yet a member of INEE, please join us - www.inee.org/user/register.

 

Ongoing Initiatives

  • Engaging Men & Boys brief: This initiative aims to promote positive/responsible masculinities and build the case for how and why to engage men and by boys in gender equity in and through education in emergencies (EiE) programming. The brief will provide actionable guidance and resources for engaging men and boys in gender equity throughout the education life cycle and aligned to the INEE Minimum Standards. 
  • Research partnerships: In order to strengthen the evidence base for gender-responsive EiE, the GWG is establishing research partnerships with universities, academics, and organizations in crisis-affected contexts. The goal of these partnerships is to promote uptake of research questions identified in the Bridging the Gap brief, to highlight new and ongoing research on gender and EiE, and to amplify the work of gender and EiE researchers in crisis-affected contexts. If you would like to partner with the GWG on this initiative, please reach out to gender@inee.org
  • Virtual gender trainings: Building on the virtual INEE Minimum Standards trainings, INEE is rolling out facilitated virtual thematic trainings on Gender and PSS-SEL. The Gender training will cover key concepts and strategies in gender-responsive EiE and use the INEE Guidance Note on Gender to analyse and improve a case study.
  • Gender newsletter: The GWG supports the curating of relevant resources, events, and opportunities for the monthly INEE Gender newsletter. To stay abreast of INEE’s gender & EiE work please update your email preferences by logging into INEE.org with your credentials. If you would like to submit resources, events, or opportunities for inclusion in the INEE Gender Newsletter, please send them to gender@inee.org.

Key Resources

cover images of GWG resources
  • Gender FAQsThis page responds to frequently asked questions (FAQs) on gender equity and gender-responsive education in emergencies.
  • Bridging the Gap: Strengthening the Evidence Base for Gender-Responsive Education in Emergencies: This advocacy brief highlights key gaps in the evidence base on gender and EiE, provides strategic guidance and thematic content for new research initiatives, and promotes collaborative action to strengthen the evidence base on gender-responsive EiE. 
  • Gender Training Manual: This training manual orients education practitioners to the INEE Guidance Note on Gender. It outlines 4-8 hours of facilitated training activities and materials on key gender concepts and strategies for gender-responsive education in emergencies. 
  • INEE Guidance Note on Gender: In 2018-2019, the Gender Task Team led the revision process revision process for the 2010 INEE Pocket Guide to Gender. The updated INEE Guidance Note on Gender captures the latest advances in the field, including updated resources and emerging promising practice, and is aligned with new tools and processes.
  • E-learning course: Introduction to the Guidance Note on Gender: This self-guided online course helps introduce education practitioners to the INEE Guidance Note on Gender. This course is intended for contexts where an in-person or remote orientation is not feasible; or where an individual has an interest in familiarizing with the INEE Guidance Note on Gender in an interactive way, and can be used as an introductory, pre-orientation activity for a more in-depth training.
  • EiE-GenKit: The Gender Task Team developed the EiE-GenKit - a core resource package for gender in education in emergencies - in collaboration with ECW and UNGEI. The EiE-GenKit is the first resource of its kind, providing education practitioners with practical tools to promote gender-responsive programming  from crisis to peace and sustainable development. 
  • Gender Collection: An expert vetted collection of key resources in Gender and EiE. 

Co-chairs:

  • Ellen Chigwanda, CARE USA
  • Jill Drzewiecki, Jesuit Refugee Service

Contact the GWG at gender@inee.org