Editing Development aid (section)

=== Effectiveness of aid for gender equality ===
Three main measures of [[gender inequality]] are used in calculating gender equality and testing programs for the purposes of development aid. In the 1995 Human Development Report the [[United Nations Development Programme|United Nations Development Program]] introduced the [[Gender Development Index]] and [[Gender Empowerment Measure]].<ref name=":11">{{Cite web|url=https://editorialexpress.com/cgi-bin/conference/download.cgi?db_name=IAFFE2016&paper_id=66&file_type=slides|title=Does Foreign Aid Improve Gender Performance of Recipient Countries? Results from Structural Equation Analysis|access-date=2 January 2020}}</ref> The Gender Empowerment Measure is calculated based on three measures, proportion of women in national parliaments, percentage of women in economic decision making positions and female share of income. The Gender Development Index uses the Human Development Index and corrects its results in life expectancy, income, and education for gender imbalances.<ref name=":11"/> Due to criticisms of these two indexes the United Nations Development Program in its 2010 Human Development Report introduced the [[Gender Inequality Index]]. The Gender Inequality Index uses more metrics and attempts to show the losses from gender inequality.<ref name=":11"/>

Even with these indexes, Ranjula Swain of the [[Stockholm School of Economics]] and Supriya Garikipati of the [[University of Liverpool]] found that, compared to the effectiveness of health, economic, and education targeted aid, foreign aid for gender equality remains understudied.<ref name=":11"/> Swain and Garikipati found in an analysis of Gender Equality Aid that on a country and region-wide level gender equality aid was not significant in its effect. Swain and Garikipati blame this on the relative lack of aid with gender equality as a primary motivation.<ref name=":11"/>

In 2005, the Interagency Gender Working Group of the [[World Health Organization]] released the "So What? Report" on the effectiveness of gender mainstreaming in NGO reproductive health programs. The report found these programs effective, but had trouble finding clear gender outcomes because most programs did not measure this data.<ref name=":12">{{Cite web|url=https://www.who.int/gender-equity-rights/knowledge/so-what-report.pdf|title=A Summary of the "So What?" Report|publisher=WHO}}</ref> When gender outcomes were measured, the report found positive programmatic effects, but the report did not look at whether these results were from increased access to services or increasing gender equality.<ref name=":12" /><ref name=":13">{{Cite journal|last1=Ravindran|first1=TKS|last2=Kelkar-Khambete|first2=A.|title=Gender Mainstreaming in Health: Looking Back, Looking Forward|journal=Global Public Health|volume=3|pages=127–129|doi=10.1080/17441690801900761|pmid=19288347|year=2008|s2cid=5215387}}</ref>

Even when gender equality is identified as a goal of aid, other factors will often be the primary focus of the aid.<ref name=":11" /> In some instances the nature of aid's gender equality component can fail to be implemented at the level of individual projects when it is a secondary aspect of a project.<ref>Charlesworth, Hilary. "Not Waving But Drowning Gender Mainstreaming and Human Rights in the United Nations". ''Harvard Human Rights Journal''. 18: 12.</ref> Gender equality is often put forward as a policy goal for the organization but program staff have differing commitment and training with regards to this goal.<ref name=":14">Van Eerdewijk, Anouka. "The Micropolitics of Evaporation: Gender Mainstreaming Instruments in Practice". Journal of International Development. 26: 353.</ref> When gender equality is a secondary aspect, development aid which has funds required to impact gender equality can be used to meet quotas of women receiving aid, without effecting the changes in gender roles that Gender Mainstreaming was meant to promote.<ref name=":14" /> Programs can also fail to provide lasting effects, with local organizations removing gender equality aspects of programs after international aid dollars are no longer funding them.<ref name=":13" />

Robert C. Jones of [[McGill University]] and Liam Swiss of [[Memorial University of Newfoundland|Memorial University]] argue that women leaders of governmental aid organizations and NGOs are more effective at Gender Mainstreaming than their male counterparts.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Smith|first1=Robert|last2=Swiss|first2=Liam|title=Gendered Leadership: The Effects of Female Development Agency Leaders on Foreign Aid Spending|journal=Sociological Forum|volume=29|issue=3}}</ref> They found in a literature review that NGOs headed by women were more likely to have Gender Mainstreaming programs and that women were often the heads of Gender Mainstreaming programs within organizations.<ref>Jones, Robert; Swiss, Liam (September 2014). "Gendered Leadership: The Effects of Female Development Agency Leaders on Foreign Aid Spending". ''Sociological Forum''. '''29''' (3): 578.</ref> By breaking down gender equality programs into two categories, gender mainstreamed programs and gender-focused programs which do not mainstream gender, Jones and Swiss found that female leaders of governmental aid organizations provided more financial support to gender mainstreamed programs and slightly more support to gender aware programs overall.<ref>Jones, Robert; Swiss, Liam (September 2014). "Gendered Leadership: The Effects of Female Development Agency Leaders on Foreign Aid Spending". ''Sociological Forum''. '''29''' (3): 582-583.</ref>