Main findings

• DAC members' aid flows in support of gender equality amounted to around USD 25.3 billion per year in 2009-10. This represents 31% of total bilateral aid allocated by sector.
• Gender equality focussed aid is concentrated in the social sectors of education, health and governance.
• More than 50% of aid to the education and health sectors combined targets gender equality. Aid to the economic and productive sectors has a marginal focus on gender equality.
• International targets for gender equality in education have been effective in focussing donor efforts on reducing enrolment gaps between girls and boys. Similar global commitments targeting gender equality in the economic and productive sectors could help intensify donor efforts in these critical areas.
• Countries with high levels of gender inequality tend to receive relatively high shares of aid focussed on gender equality, though this is not the case across the countires.
• The percentage of aid which is assessed by DAC members agaisnt the gender equality marker has risen from 65% in 2005-6 to 76% in 2009-10.
• It is difficult to determine the gender equality focus of budget support using the gender equality marker. More methodological work is needed to find an appropriate approach.

Related links

• Homepage: Aid in support of gender equality and women's empowermen
• Chapter 2: Aid in support of women's economic empowermen
• Chapter 3: Aid in support of gender equality in education and health
• Chapter 4: Aid in support of gender equality in fragile and conflicted-affected states
• Chapter 5: Aid in support of gender equality in humanitarian contexts (forthcoming)

Aid targeting gender equality and women’s empowerment

31% of total bilateral aid allocated by sector targeted gender equality as a principal or significant objective. This is equivalent to the USD 25 billion per year commited by DAC members in 2009-10. 69% of the aid screened against the gender equality policy marker did not target gender equality.

• Dataset: Aid activites targeting gender equality and women's empowerment (CRS)