Monitoring and evaluation programme of the implementation of the Dakar and Beijing Platforms for Action 2000-2004 : a guide to data collection for impact evaluation of gender mainstreaming on the status of women in Africa

Abstract

This guiding manual is aimed at assisting those who will be conducting impact evaluations on the status of women on the African continent. From the outset, it should be emphasized to the Evaluators that the evaluation study is not just an impact assessment study but it is also looked at as baseline study. This is the case because much of the required data to address the critical issues/ variables mentioned in the indicators are not readily available and may have to be collected for the first time through fresh surveys. This information will become useful in future impact evaluations though for the moment it will be taken only as a measure of status and not impact. The main aims of this manual are therefore, to ensure that evaluators collect the right kind of data in the most systematic and appropriate manner; to ensure that the data is properly analyzed and interpreted to show the current status of women in the various sectors and the impact of gender mainstreaming on that status; to ensure the writing and submission of good, concise, easy to understand evaluation reports. The guide is divided into two parts. The first part discusses general issues regarding how to conduct the evaluation. The second part deals specifically with how to obtain data for analyzing each impact indicator in the five sectors.