Beyond gender mainstreaming: transforming humanitarian action, organizations and culture

• Published in: Journal of international humanitarian action Vol. 8; no. 1; pp. 5 - 20
• Main Authors: Gupta, Geeta Rao, Grown, Caren, Fewer, Sara, Gupta, Reena, Nowrojee, Sia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.12.2023; Springer; Springer Nature B.V; SpringerOpen
• Subjects: Analysis; Behavioral sciences; Climate Change; Culture; Gender equality; Gender equity; Gender inequalities; Gender inequality; Gender mainstreaming; Human acts; Human behavior; Human Rights; Humanitarian culture; Humanitarian programming; Humanitarianism; International Humanitarian Law; International Relations; Law; Law and Criminolgy; Law of Armed Conflict; Mainstreaming; Masculinity; Migration; Natural Hazards; Organizations; Research Article; Results-based approaches; Bangladesh; Yemen; Gender inequalities; Humanitarian culture; Results-based approaches; Humanitarian programming; Gender mainstreaming
• ISSN: 2364-3412; 2364-3404; 2364-3404
• DOI: 10.1186/s41018-023-00138-1

The United Nations and major humanitarian organizations have made policy commitments to promote gender equality and empower women and girls. This study assesses the extent to which humanitarian responses have met these commitments based on reviews of gender mainstreaming, textual analysis of policy and program cycle documents, and interviews with humanitarian actors. The analysis reveals that while gender mainstreaming may raise awareness and make fixes at the margins, its focus has been limited to altering internal processes rather than emphasizing results for women and men and girls and boys. Our study also analyzes the cultural and institutional context in which gender mainstreaming takes place. The culture of humanitarian organizations has been characterized as hierarchical and driven by a short-term crisis response with a distinctly macho style of functioning, which is misaligned with gender mainstreaming. We propose replacing gender mainstreaming with a results-focused approach rooted in behavioral science that uses evidence of the conscious and non-conscious drivers of human behavior to address problems, alongside other efforts to change the internal culture of humanitarian organizations.