NEWA hosts a validation workshop on the Implementation Research of the Gender Mainstreaming Policy
NEWA hosts a validation workshop on the Implementation Research of the Gender Mainstreaming Policy from a UCDW and Intersectionality perspective in selected government sectors. On June 13th, NEWA hosted a validation workshop on the Implementation Research of the Gender Mainstreaming Policy from a UCDW and Intersectionality perspective in selected government sectors at Sapphire Addis Hotel, Addis Ababa. The Network of Ethiopian Women Associations (NEWA), in collaboration with MoWSA and with support from IDRC, launched a pilot project titled “Coupling Unpaid Care and Domestic Work (UCDW) with a Local Development Agenda for an Improved Care System in Ethiopia.” The project seeks to integrate UCDW and intersectional approaches into national development policies and revise gender mainstreaming (GM) guidelines accordingly. As part of this initiative, a study was conducted to assess the integration of UCDW and intersectionality within Ethiopia’s national and sectoral GM manuals. The assessment focused on five key ministries—Women and Social Affairs, Health, Education, Labor and Skills, and Water and Energy—and involved a desk review of existing guidelines, interviews with 12 key informants, and a review of global literature. The implementation research found that unpaid care and domestic work (UCDW) is largely overlooked as a standalone theme across ministries. Where referenced indirectly, strategies for its recognition, reduction, and redistribution are insufficient. Similarly, intersectionality—acknowledging overlapping identities such as gender, disability, and rurality—was minimally addressed across all guidelines, leading to limited data disaggregation and inadequate policy responses for marginalized groups. The research also identified systemic gaps, including weak support structures for caregivers, poor data collection, and low investment in essential public services and infrastructure to ease the burden of UCDW. Furthermore, national and sectoral gender mainstreaming (GM) guidelines lack targeted interventions for subgroups such as rural women, women with disabilities, and economically disadvantaged caregivers. These challenges are exacerbated by entrenched social norms, weak stakeholder collaboration, and limited resources. As a result, the next steps include developing a comprehensive manual to support sectors revising their guidelines, ensuring alignment with best practices. A policy brief will also be prepared and shared with government stakeholders to inform and guide decision-making. Additionally, a training toolkit will be created to deliver targeted sessions, strengthening stakeholder capacity to implement the revised guidelines effectively