Research for Change

Research is an important and growing part of IWDA’s work, informing how we understand and act on gender issues. 

Research is critical to deeply understanding the circumstances of women and girls, and the relationships and institutions that shape their lives.  It informs our priorities and approaches, and helps us assess the impact of efforts to improve opportunities and outcomes through IWDA’s development partnerships with local organisations in Asia and the Pacific.  Research — in which IWDA is involved, as well as that undertaken by other agencies and research institutions  — also grounds IWDA’s gender training and advice in evidence and on-the-ground experience. 

IWDA undertakes research within our programs with partner organisations, for evaluation, to assess the long-term impact of our work with partners, as well as a growing number of specific research projects.

IWDA’s Strategic Directions 2008-2013 increased the focus on research.  Much of IWDA’s recent research activity has been undertaken in partnership with universities and research institutions.  This allows us to combine IWDA’s strengths in gender analysis, participatory community development and connection to networks in the Asia and Pacific region with the research depth of organisations that have research as their core business. Such partnerships also give us access to wider research knowledge and strengthen IWDA’s research capacity and that of program partners and staff.

IWDA is committed to developing and sustaining strategic research partnerships that contribute to practical knowledge on gender issues including the gender dimensions of ‘mainstream’ issues to inform policy. IWDA is currently involved in a number of research partnerships, all focused on practical research that will provide new evidence to inform and strengthen work towards gender equality:

Making the invisible visible – gender, water, sanitation and hygiene in the Pacific (2008-10)

Assessing development: designing better indices of poverty and gender equity (2009-2011)

Measuring gender equality outcomes of economic growth in the Pacific: working with communities to develop indicators that monitor change (2010-2011)

Triple jeopardy: gender-based violence, disability, rights violations and access to related services among women in Cambodia (2010-2011)

Gender Policy and Approaches among ACFID agencies (2010)

Human rights and trade in the Pacific: A paper on designing a Human Rights Impact Assessment for PACER-Plus

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