advancement of women and men in all sectors; as well as to promote the projection of both women and men’s efforts and contributions in national development. GENDER MAINSTREAMING (Brainstorming, discussions and mini lecture) Notes for the facilitator Use the information from previous sessions on issues that affect women and men in their families and communities and on how traditions and customs influence responses. Also gather information on what is being done by community-based organisations and government agencies. Session objectives • To help participants apply gender consciousness to the skills acquired in previous modules; and • To allow participants to move forward in their strategic thinking on how to break down gender barriers and envision a plan for a partnership. Gender mainstreaming (Mini lecture) The failure to transform women’s (and thus also men’s) position in society led policymakers and those in the equality field to question the impact of equal-opportunity policies. It was realised that society’s structures and practices, and the relationship between women and men, needed a radical rethink to root out the deep-seated and often hidden causes of inequality. They therefore named this tool ‘the gender-mainstreaming approach’. There are two ways in which gender mainstreaming may be defined: Definition 1: In terms of this definition, gender mainstreaming is the process of assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action, including legislation, policies or programmes in any area and at all levels. It is a strategy for making women’s as well as men’s concerns and experiences an integral dimension of the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes in all political, economic and societal spheres so that women and men can benefit equally and inequality is not perpetuated. The ultimate goal is to achieve gender equality (UN Economic and Social Council, 1997). Definition 2: According to this definition, gender mainstreaming is the systematic consideration of the differences between the conditions, situations and needs of women and men in all community policies and actions. This does not mean simply making community programmes or resources more accessible to women, but refers rather to the simultaneous mobilisation of legal instruments, financial resources and the community’s analytical and organisational capacities in order to introduce the desire to build balanced relationships between women and men in all areas. In this respect, it is necessary and important to base the policy of equality between women and men on a sound statistical analysis of the situation of women and men in various areas of life and of the changes taking place in societies (European Commission, 1996). 78 Community Healing: A training manual for Zimbabwe