Gender Matrix
The Gender Analysis and COVID-19 Matrix provides a rapid snapshot of the gendered impacts of the outbreak in each country. It aims to document the wide-ranging impacts across multiple domains to illuminate how gender and other inequities impact and are impacted by the response. The next step of the project will analyze if and how COVID-19 policies respond to these impacts.
A gender matrix is an analytical tool used to analyze how people of different genders (men, women, and with non-binary gender identities) experience an event or health challenge. It promotes consideration of how an individual’s experience of the particular issue (horizontal categories) interact with gender-related considerations (vertical categories). Gender analysis matrixes are also used within programs or interventions to explore how gender power relations may affect the ability of an intervention to meet its objective.
We have designed a Gender Analysis and COVID-19 Matrix to reflect on how experiences and responses to the outbreak are structured not just by risk, illness, and health services, but also social, economic, and security factors. Our gender considerations aim to take a multidimensional perspective on gender – recognizing gender interacts with access to resource, the roles we fill in society, what is expected of us, and power dynamics. It includes evidence of the ways in which gender power relations manifest to create inequities and/or differences in experiences.
The Matrix is intersectional. We aim to document how various factors – such as race, ethnicity, and sexuality – interact with gender to structure inequities.
The Matrix is dynamic. Considering the fast-moving nature of the COVID-19 outbreak, we have begun with a rapid gender analysis using the matrix domains to guide our analysis of policy, media, and other documents, which we will update monthly. As we conduct primary research, we will add depth of data and analysis to the Matrix.
Methodology: Building off of other gender matrixes, the team collaboratively developed and refined the COVID-19 and gender domains, developing a codebook to define each of the domain intersections. News and web content were systematically searched for evidence of gender impacts of the outbreak and response, and each impact was then classified by domain and entered into the Matrix.
Access to Resources |
Labour/Roles |
Norms/Beliefs |
Power |
Institutions/ Laws |
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Risk |
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Illness/ Treatment |
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Health Systems/ Services |
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Social Impacts |
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Economic Impacts |
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Security Impacts |
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Access to Resources | Labour/Roles | Norms/Beliefs | Power | Institutions/ Laws | |
Vulnerability to disease/ illness | |||||
Exposure | |||||
Response to illness/ Treatment | |||||
Health system – facilities and infrastructure | |||||
Economic impacts | |||||
Social impacts | |||||
Security Impacts |
Access to Resources |
Labour/Roles |
Norms/Beliefs |
Power |
Institutions/ Laws |
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Risk |
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Illness/ Treatment |
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Health Systems/ Services |
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Social Impacts |
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Economic Impacts |
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Security Impacts |
Access to Resources |
Labour/Roles |
Norms/Beliefs |
Power |
Institutions/ Laws |
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Risk |
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Illness/ Treatment |
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Health Systems/ Services |
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Social Impacts |
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Economic Impacts |
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Security Impacts |
Access to Resources |
Labour/Roles |
Norms/Beliefs |
Power |
Institutions/ Laws |
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Risk |
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Illness/ Treatment |
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Health Systems/ Services |
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Social Impacts |
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Economic Impacts |
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Security Impacts |
Access to Resources |
Labour/Roles |
Norms/Beliefs |
Power |
Institutions/ Laws |
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Risk |
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Illness/ Treatment |
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Health Systems/ Services |
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Social Impacts |
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Economic Impacts |
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Security Impacts |
Access to Resources |
Labour/Roles |
Norms/Beliefs |
Power |
Institutions/ Laws |
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Risk |
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Illness/ Treatment |
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Health Systems/ Services |
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Social Impacts |
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Economic Impacts |
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Security Impacts |
Access to Resources |
Labour/Roles |
Norms/Beliefs |
Power |
Institutions/ Laws |
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Risk |
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Illness/ Treatment |
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Health Systems/ Services |
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Social Impacts |
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Economic Impacts |
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Security Impacts |
Make your own Matrix!
Using a gender analysis matrix will allow you to design gender responsive research or interventions in a systematic way. It can be used to:
1. Identify how gender analysis can be conducted within existing data sets, and/or
2. Identify key gender-related considerations for research, programmes or policies and how research, programmes or policies can be modified to take into account such considerations.
The matrix can be used to identify and/or develop: gender considerations (barriers and opportunities), analytical gender analysis questions, gender analysis questions for inclusion in data collection tools, codes for qualitative data analysis, variables for quantitative analysis, and gender indicators for monitoring and evaluation.
While, gender analysis matrixes are meant to be modified to meet study or intervention needs and objectives, the gender analysis domains should remain the same. The topic domains should be modified to relate to areas of consideration within your programme, study, or intervention.
The Gender Analysis and COVID-19 matrix (pdf) provides a series of questions that fit into the domains described in the table above.
You should write your answers in the Gender Analysis Matrix Template (doc).
We would love to see any Matrices that you produce for your own countries. Use the contact page to get in touch!