Moser Gender Planning Framework
Encyclopedia
The Moser Gender Planning Framework is a tool for gender analysis
in development planning that was developed by Caroline Moser
. The goal is to free women from subordination and allow them to achieve equality, equity and empowerment.
(GAD) approach to development planning in the 1980s while working at the Development Planning Unit (DPU) of the University of London
.
Working with Caren Levy, she expanded it into a methodology for gender policy and planning.
Moser and Levy published A Theory and Method of Gender Planning – Meeting Women's Practical and Strategic Needs as a DPU working paper in 1986.
The framework is based on Moser's concepts of gender roles and gender needs, and her views on the ways in which policies should approach gender and development planning.
As with the WID-based Harvard Analytical Framework
, it includes collection of quantitative empirical facts. Going further, it investigates the reasons and processes that lead to conventions of access and control.
The Moser Framework includes gender roles identification, gender needs assessment, disaggregating control of resources and decision making withn the household, planning for balancing the triple role, distinguishing between different aims in interventions and involving women and gender-aware organizations in planning.
The framework acknowledges a political element to gender planning, and assumes that the process will have to deal with conflicts.
The framework rests on three basic concepts: the triple role of women, practical and strategic gender needs and categories of WID/GAD policy approaches.
The triple role consists of reproductive, productive and community-managing activities.
Practical needs are ones that, if met, would help women in their current activities.
Strategic needs are those which, if met, would transform the balance of power between men and women.
Different categories of WID/GAD policy approach, which may or may not be approproate, include welfare (top-down handouts), equity, anti-poverty, efficiency and empowerment.
The concept of gender roles may tend to obscures the concept of gender relationships. It may give a sense of a stable balance, acceptance of each person's normal activities and rights, when in fact there is ongoing negotiation, conflict and compromise. The framework does not consider evolution of the socioeconomic structure over time. The framework only addresses gender inequality and does not consider other types of inequality such as caste, class or race.
Naila Kabeer has argued that the triple role concept obscures the distinction between activity and outcome. For example, the outcome of child care could be achieved by the mother at home, by a communal creche or through paid private or state facilities. These are very different in terms of their effect on women.
Gender analysis
Gender analysis is a type of socio-economic analysis that uncovers how gender relations affect a development problem. The aim may just be to show that gender relations will probably affect the solution, or to show how they will affect the solution and what could be done...
in development planning that was developed by Caroline Moser
Caroline Moser
Caroline Moser is an academic specialising in social policy and urban social anthropology. She is primarily famous for her field-based approach to research on the informal sector generally - but particularly aspects such as poverty, violence, asset vulnerability and strategies for accumulation in...
. The goal is to free women from subordination and allow them to achieve equality, equity and empowerment.
Origin
Moser developed the Framework for a Gender and DevelopmentGender and Development
The Gender and Development approach is a way of determining how best to structure development projects and programs based on analysis of gender relationships...
(GAD) approach to development planning in the 1980s while working at the Development Planning Unit (DPU) of the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
.
Working with Caren Levy, she expanded it into a methodology for gender policy and planning.
Moser and Levy published A Theory and Method of Gender Planning – Meeting Women's Practical and Strategic Needs as a DPU working paper in 1986.
The framework is based on Moser's concepts of gender roles and gender needs, and her views on the ways in which policies should approach gender and development planning.
Overview
The Moser framework follows the Gender and Development approach in emphasizing the importance of gender relations.As with the WID-based Harvard Analytical Framework
Harvard Analytical Framework
The Harvard Analytical Framework, also called the Gender Roles Framework, is one of the earliest frameworks for understanding differences between men and women in their participation in the economy...
, it includes collection of quantitative empirical facts. Going further, it investigates the reasons and processes that lead to conventions of access and control.
The Moser Framework includes gender roles identification, gender needs assessment, disaggregating control of resources and decision making withn the household, planning for balancing the triple role, distinguishing between different aims in interventions and involving women and gender-aware organizations in planning.
The framework acknowledges a political element to gender planning, and assumes that the process will have to deal with conflicts.
The framework rests on three basic concepts: the triple role of women, practical and strategic gender needs and categories of WID/GAD policy approaches.
The triple role consists of reproductive, productive and community-managing activities.
Practical needs are ones that, if met, would help women in their current activities.
Strategic needs are those which, if met, would transform the balance of power between men and women.
Different categories of WID/GAD policy approach, which may or may not be approproate, include welfare (top-down handouts), equity, anti-poverty, efficiency and empowerment.
Tools
The framework provides six tools. Tool 1 identifies gender roles: what women, men, boys and girls do in various productive, reproductive and community-managing activities. Tool 2 identifies the practical and strategic needs of women. Tool 3 defines an access and control profile for resources and benefits of economic activity. Tool 4 examines the impact that a new policy, project or program will have on the three roles. A change addressing one area may affect others in a positive or negative sense. Tool 5 looks at how welfare, equity, anti-poverty, efficiency or empowerment approaches will address practical or strategic needs. The approaches are not mutually exclusive. The final Tool 6 looks at way in which women and gender-aware organisations and individuals can be involved in the process.Limitations
Although widely used, the framework has been subject to some criticism.The concept of gender roles may tend to obscures the concept of gender relationships. It may give a sense of a stable balance, acceptance of each person's normal activities and rights, when in fact there is ongoing negotiation, conflict and compromise. The framework does not consider evolution of the socioeconomic structure over time. The framework only addresses gender inequality and does not consider other types of inequality such as caste, class or race.
Naila Kabeer has argued that the triple role concept obscures the distinction between activity and outcome. For example, the outcome of child care could be achieved by the mother at home, by a communal creche or through paid private or state facilities. These are very different in terms of their effect on women.