Gender training

Gender training emerged in women’s organizations and non-governmental development organizations in the 1980s and, by the 1990s, had entered large development bureaucracies. Since the first half of the 1990s, a serious and critical review of gender training has not yet been undertaken. Such a review is all the more critical given recent policy and strategy directions by development agencies, mainly in the north, and their increased attention to women’s leadership, empowerment and rights.

KIT develops and carries out education and training on gender and development, particularly gender awareness raising, gender analysis and planning, gender mainstreaming and gender-inclusive citizenship.

As part of a wider KIT initiative to critically examine the thinking and practice of gender training and education a book with contributions and an annotated bibliography on gender training has been produced in 2007. Another activity has been the International Conference Revisiting Studies and Training in Gender and Development: the Making and Remaking of Gender Knowledge (14-16 May 2007). To download a PDF of the Conference Report and background information please visit the Conference website.

Two books on Gender training published by KIT:

• Gender training: the source book. (Gender, Society & Development series no. 2) Royal Tropical Institute (KIT) & Oxfam GB, 1998 ; and
• Revisiting gender training: the making and remaking of gender knowledge (Gender, Society & Development series no. 10) Royal Tropical Institute (KIT) in association with Oxfam GB, 2007.

All chapters from the two books, and a summary of an online discussion on gender training that took place from August 28-September 22, 2006, can be accessed hereunder:

• Mukhopadhyay, M., and M. Appel (1998) Introduction: Gender training and social transformation: an agenda for change (Gender training: the source book)
• Abu-Habib, Lina (1998) Middle and Near East. In: Gender training: the source book
• Murthy, Ranjani K. (1998) South Asia. In: Gender training: the source book
• Kasente, Deborah H. (1998) Eastern and Southern Africa. In: Gender training: the source book
• Shefer, T., and M. Friedman (1998) South Africa. In: Gender training: the source book
• Wong, Franz. Summary of the 'Dgroup Gender Training' discussion, 28 Aug-22 Sep, 2006
• Mukhopadhyay, M.; Wong, F. (2007). Introduction: Revisiting gender training
• Dasgupta, J. (2007) Gender training: politics or development? A perspective from India
• Ahikire, J. (2007) Gender training and the politics of mainstreaming in post-Beijing Uganda
• Abou-Habib, L. (2007) Changing the unchangeable: reflections on selected experiences in gender training in the Machreq/Maghreb region
• Vouhé, C. (2007) Gender and development training in the Francophone world: making up ground without repeating mistakes?
• Meer, S. (2007) Reframing rights for social change