Women in development portfolio review : the identification of means to further promote the integration of gender considerations into USAID/Guatemala"s program

This report assesses the Mission"s recent efforts to integrate women into its development projects and programs. The review indicates that the Mission is cognizant of the importance of incorporating gender concerns into its portfolio and has the means to do so. Nonetheless, women are still under-represented in some areas, and gender differences in the quality of participation and project impacts have generally not been considered until recently, except in the cases of social service delivery (family planning, health, education), microenterprise, and informal sector development. Following general recommendations, the report presents eight recommendations for gender-specific interventions: (1) training of extension and field personnel to promote the participation of women in project activities; (2) a small livestock improvement program; (3) a strategy to target men and couples in family planning activities; (4) hiring a coordinator of educational research for women in development; (5) developing a strategy for improving women"s access to the benefits of democracy; (6) enhancing women"s participation in infrastructure development projects; (7) an export development program; and (8) a women"s village banks project.