GBA+
The “Women’s Participation, Women’s Power” project was developed through a gender-based analysis (GBA+) approach. The project team consulted with Relais-femmes, a feminist organization which works for social change and for the promotion of the rights of women and women’s organizations.
What is GBA+?
Gender-based analysis (GBA+) is an inclusive approach which, from the time an initiative is put in place, aims to consider the different realities of diverse groups of people: men, women and people with diverse gender identities. The “+” indicates that the analysis is not limited to sex or to gender, but to a variety of types of exclusion which can occur at the same time, such as: age, religion, disability, and/or ethnic origin.
What is it used for?
When used from the start of a new initiative (such as a project, program, policy, or action plan) or in an organization such as a housing cooperative, GBA+ helps prevent social inequalities. For instance, it can help to:
- Eliminate all forms of systemic discrimination;
- Avoid all extensions of the patriarchal system; and
- Prevent or reduce inequalities between men and women, and between women themselves.
Why Take an Intersectional Approach?
Our positions in society and our individual identities are influenced by a multitude of social factors. Beyond sex and gender, ethnic origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, immigration status, age, being Indigenous, or being disabled might affect a person’s ability to fully take their place in society. GBA+ is a way to consider how intersecting oppressions affect marginalized people.
To Learn More About GBA+
- Conseil des Montréalaises, 2013. “Demain, Montréal pour toutes et tous!” (in French)
- A Gendered Budget Analysis in Sweden
- Le monde selon les femmes, 2016. “Promoting Gender Equality through Budgetary Choices”
Guidelines from the Project’s Coordination Committee
For cooperatives
- Introduce positive discrimination measures, such as quotas, to determine the number of women and men on boards of directors;
- Discuss the importance of finding gender balance and proportional representation and the benefits for cooperative management.
For federations
- Review and adapt training sessions so that they include a GBA+ perspective;
- Adapt the training sessions and support programs on offer to women’s realities and target more women to participate in these sessions and programs.
For support groups (technical resource groups and housing committees)
- Adapt the training sessions and support programs on offer to women’s realities and target more women to participate in these sessions and programs.
Training
The project has led to the development of a training session for cooperatives and their members, as well as for actors in social and community housing (technical resource groups, housing committees, etc.), the FHCQ team and women’s centres. Over twenty training sessions have been organized, allowing for more than 100 people to be trained in GBA+.