Evaluating a Decade of World Bank Gender Policy, 1990-99

As part of the Bank's poverty reduction mandate, the Bank's 1994 Operational Policy 4.20 on 'Gender Dimensions of Development' aimed to reduce gender disparity and increase the participation of women in the economic development of their countries. This report combines the findings of two evaluations-"Integrating Gender in World Bank Assistance" and "The Gender Dimension of Bank Assistance: An Evaluation of Results"-on the relevance and results of this policy. The findings were that...
More Description

As part of the Bank's poverty reduction mandate, the Bank's 1994 Operational Policy 4.20 on 'Gender Dimensions of Development' aimed to reduce gender disparity and increase the participation of women in the economic development of their countries. This report combines the findings of two evaluations-"Integrating Gender in World Bank Assistance" and "The Gender Dimension of Bank Assistance: An Evaluation of Results"-on the relevance and results of this policy. The findings were that despite positive developments and gradual progress in incorporating gender considerations in Country Assistance Strategies, the Bank had only partially implemented its policy, and that levels of integration into Bank assistance were inadequate. The evaluations determined that there was no consensus on the scope of the Bank's policy, and strategy and institutional systems to measure the gender-disaggregated impact of Bank assistance were weak