Integrating context in the evaluation of gender equality interventions and beyond

Abstract

During the last few decades, the European Union and its member states have promoted gender equality policies in research organizations. However, evaluations of what policy interventions have accomplished have been limited. Based on a co-creation process, involving key European stakeholders, the H2020 funded EFFORTI project has aimed to fill this research gap by developing an evaluation framework to design and evaluate gender equality interventions in research and innovation. The analysis of interventions in a number of European countries has revealed the importance of considering the national and organisational contexts in gender equality policies and evaluation regimes. Context plays a crucial role when it comes to assessing outputs, outcomes and impacts of policy interventions, and needs to be factored into any explanation of change. Hence, evaluation approaches must ensure that design and evaluation of interventions are context-sensitive and theory-based to open the “black box” of programmes, thus avoiding that evaluation only looks at the effects without considering the underlying mechanisms producing them. Based on the experiences generated in the EFFORTI project, we herewith propose a context-sensitive logic model for interventions addressing gender based violence and harassment. The approach proposed may be an inspirational source for policy makers and evaluators working with gender equality interventions in complex contexts and within fields of study beyond gender equality.