Title: Policy development
Course: Introduction to gender-based analysis plus GBA+ > Section: Module 4

Applying GBA+ to policy development is important because women, men and non-binary people can experience the same issue differently. Even in cases where the issues do not seem gendered, there may be varying impacts on diverse populations that extend beyond gender. GBA+ enhances policy development by guiding the gathering of information and analysis needed to inform the best decisions.

Some questions to consider for policy development include:

What has triggered the issue? Is this issue important to a particular group? Who has identified it? Whose voice is most prominent?

What is the broader social, political and economic context? While the policy issue may seem limited in scope, it is always tied to a larger objective.

Have the experiences of women, men and non-binary people been considered in defining the issue, from their perspective?

If I consider an issue “neutral,” how have I proved that this is the case?

Are there groups of people that might experience this issue differently?

Have stakeholders been consulted? Do they represent a diversity of perspectives?

Have impacted communities been consulted?

What mitigation strategies will provide the most positive impacts for all people?

How can this proposal advance the overarching objective of promoting greater equality?