What matters to women — 5 learnings
5 insights compiled from our research, events, and all of you — here’s what makes a difference for women!
We learned a lot in the year 2021. From our gender practitioners, and our conversation series — and from all of you. Our team took some time to compile the 5 most powerful learnings. What matters to us all, but especially to women? Take a look 👇🏽
1. Say no to extractive data collection
Women are more vulnerable to extractive data collection. Ensure you are only collecting data points that won’t cause harm to the community you’re working with. Always circle back to them with your findings and insights to balance out the power dynamics around data.
2. Play out the lifecycle
If your program is designed to drive positive impact for women and girls — ensure a lifecycle design lens. What happens after they “graduate?” Given the social dynamics women have to navigate, this increases the chances of success for your programs.
3. Consider non-linearity
Women are more likely to go in and out of work, work part-time or several jobs, peak in their careers outside the norm, retire earlier or later — especially because they take on caregiving responsibilities. Design for non-linear lives to serve a wider audience.
4. Be conscious of the role of men and boys
Some of our gender practitioners believe we have to include men and boys in our gender-equity solutions because they are part of the problem. Others veer strongly towards women-only spaces because that’s what their communities need. There’s no one right answer, and it’s not an either/or — but it’s important to make that decision consciously.
5. Ensure your success metrics actually measure women’s success
Chances are that your project success metrics measure the success of your project — and sometimes that doesn’t necessarily mean the success of women (as she sees it and needs it). This goes both ways — maybe your goals are too ambitious or not ambitious enough. Understand what success means to her and ensure the metrics reflect that too.
This post is an excerpt from Unconforming: a newsletter about Design for Women. Unconforming goes out every two weeks and also shares learnings from experts, job and other opportunities, examples and articles — all to make an impact in the women’s space. Sign up here to get it in your inbox!
