Gender equality, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and LGBTQI rights are currently facing increased resistance internationally, and women’s rights are regressing in several countries. The focus on gender equality in international development cooperation has also declined in recent years, a trend that is also reflected in Sweden.
In 2018, EBA published a comprehensive evaluation of Sida’s implementation of its Plan for Gender Integration, adopted in 2016. The study became significant for Sida’s ambition to strengthen its work on gender mainstreaming. Since 2018, however, the proportion of Sida projects relating to gender equality has gradually declined, despite continued political ambitions in this area.
The purpose of this study is to map and analyze the status of gender mainstreaming at Sida during the period 2018–2025. The study is a follow-up to the previous EBA evaluation from 2018 and aims to:
- Follow up on how Sida’s work on gender mainstreaming has developed over time in relation to the conclusions from 2018.
- Contribute to a deeper understanding of how changes in Swedish aid steering and policy have affected the integration of gender equality in practice.
The study will draw on a combination of advanced tools for quantitative text analysis of Sida documents and qualitative interviews to capture how new global and local conditions for development cooperation have affected Sida’s internal culture, expertise, and practical implementation of gender equality work.
Authors:
Elin Bjarnegård, Professor, Uppsala university
Åsa Eldén, Researcher, Uppsala university
Cecilia Josefsson, Associate professor, Uppsala university
Janithrika Jayasundara, Research assistant, Uppsala university
Reference group chair: Åsa Regnér
Project manager at EBA: Helena Hede Skagerlind