Community Audit & Evaluation Centre

GAP Unit

The Gender and Participation (GAP) Unit is a critical investigation and training facility based at the Community Audit and Evaluation Centre (CAEC) within Manchester Metropolitan University.

The GAP Unit was established in 2006, when CAEC took over a research and advocacy programme known as the GEM Project (‘Gender and Community Engagement in Manchester’), which had been run by its partner Manchester Women’s Network (MWN) since 2003.

Despite the efforts of many, there remains a general lack of awareness of the way gender plays out in our societal institutions and personal lives. The GAP Unit builds on the aims of the GEM Project to increase awareness of gender issues and promote gender equality.

Objectives

• To generate data and knowledge on gender-related issues
• To identify gender gaps and inequalities and make them visible
• To conduct policy-relevant research on gender
• To carry out participatory gender audits and gender impact assessments
• To build the capacity of others to deliver participatory gender analysis and training
• To help facilitate the integration of the gender dimension into projects, programmes and service delivery
• To act as a gender and participation resource centre

What do we do?

The GAP Unit works in partnership with other organisations and community groups to carry out gender related studies, training, advocacy, resourcing and dissemination activities.

• Gender Studies – critical inquiries
  We aim to help local communities, voluntary organisations, service deliverers and policy makers identify and understand gender gaps, and generate appropriate strategies to tackle them.

• Gender Training
  GAP Unit training enables people to meet the challenges of building a more just, inclusive and equal society. It is suitable for policy-makers, public servants, educators, commercial operators, local councillors, voluntary organisations, community groups and local men and women.

• Advocating
  The Unit organises seminars, workshops and conferences for promoting gender-related research and training. It also participates in and builds networks with local and national organisations, to enable cross-cultural dissemination and exchange of ideas and experiences. There is a strong advocacy dimension to the work: we are conscious to channel insights and recommendations which emerge from our training, research and networking activities into appropriate government, voluntary and community sector forums.

• Dissemination and information sharing
  In collaboration with partner organisations, the GAP Unit produces and promotes knowledge around gender and female empowerment. We are developing training materials on gender and participation to help local people, researchers and development practitioners integrate gender issues into their work. The Unit also hosts an open-access information resource on gender issues.

Partnership Working

Inter-agency collaboration plays a key role in the promotion of gender equality. The GAP Unit works in partnership with community groups, voluntary organisations and local and national public bodies.

Our Team

The GAP Unit is an interdisciplinary team of researchers and lecturers. We work in conjunction with experienced field workers to facilitate participatory gender research, audits and training.