# Towards a common understanding of gender-responsive monitoring and evaluation for health programs and interventions: Evidence from a scoping review

## TL;DR

This paper reviews how gender is integrated into health program monitoring and evaluation, aiming to clarify best practices and approaches.

## Contribution

The study provides a synthesis of methods and frameworks for making monitoring and evaluation gender responsive.

## Key findings

- Most studies incorporated gender domains in analysis even without specific gender frameworks.
- Twelve articles used a gender score, often based on Likert scales for gender equity.
- Seven studies used participatory methods in designing gender-responsive M&E.

## Abstract

Given the many approaches to and definitions of gender responsive monitoring and evaluation (M&E) for health programs and interventions there is a lack of clarity on how to operationalize it including what to measure and how to measure it. We conducted a scoping review to understand what makes M&E gender responsive. We included 31 studies and conducted two rounds of extraction to delineate ways in which gender was integrated into M&E. Twelve articles described the use of theory to guide M&E though most were not related to gender. Twelve articles employed a gender score in data collection, most of which measured Likert scale responses related to gender equity. Even though most studies did not use a specific gender framework, most incorporated gender domains in their analysis. Seven studies used participatory methods in the design and implementation of M&E. Most studies conducted M&E on programs or interventions that were designed to be gender intentional and related to gender issues. Gender responsive M&E intentionally integrates gender into the M&E process, regardless of how gender-intentional the program or intervention is. Gender dimensions can be identified through gender theories, models, scores, and frameworks to inform tool development, data collection, analysis, and stakeholder engagement processes.