INSTRAW, in collaboration with other organizations, promotes and produces knowledge and information on gender equality and the empowerment of women. The Institute encourages people and organizations to carry out action-oriented research on gender-related issues, particularly in developing countries, that will have a concrete impact on policies and programmes. This Gender Research Guide is intended to help both researchers and development practitioners integrate gender issues into their work. The Guide includes:

• A brief overview of existing gender research methodologies that focuses on the pros and cons of specific approaches and includes a list of key texts, critiques and examples.
• A practical guide on “How to Gender Your Research”  that provides information on integrating gender issues into research, including a step-by-step analysis of how to gender specific research methods.
• A  searchable database of gender research materials containing books, journals, online documents and other materials on gender methodology and methods, as well as examples of research that applies these methodologies
• A glossary of terms: including key terms and concepts related to gender research and analysis

INSTRAW and Gender Research

The International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW) is the only United Nations institution mandated to carry out research for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women worldwide. INSTRAW’s research programme focuses on four main areas:

• Gender, Migration and Remittances - exploring gender differences in the sending of remittances by migrant women and men, the use of remittances by recipients, and the impact of women’s migration and remittances on household and gender relations.
• Gender, Peace and Security - looking at the gender dimensions of security sector reform processes, focusing on the inclusion of women and mainstreaming of gender issues, the full implementation of UN SCR 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, and improving the prevention and response to violence against women.
• Gender, Governance and Women’s Political Participation - focusing on good practices for increasing women’s political participation and representation at the local level (in community-based or municipal government) and for fomenting dialogue between local women’s groups and national governments.
• Gender Mainstreaming – assessing the impact of gender mainstreaming efforts in UN and other organisations, as well as specific projects, and prioritising the identification of lessons learned and the dissemination of best practices.