Making a difference: integrating gender analysis into PRA training

PRA is not "automatically gender sensitive" - there is a need to raise gender awareness first before PRA tools can be used to explore different perceptions and it is not enough simply to say that gender is important. A PRA and Gender training programme that took place in Brazil had three preparatory steps : defining gender, "formulating key questions in terms of gender-differentiated perspectives" and deciding which PRA methods would be most appropriate. During the fieldwork, problems were discussed in terms of gender - who and how issues had been raised. The article ends with a discussion of the benefits ("experiential learning of gender differences") and dangers (the trap of the "gender average") of linking PRA and gender.