Gender and Power – Koester (2015)

This concept brief offers a clear and concise introduction to the links between gender and power. It has been designed and written for those who are new to the relationship between gender and power and explores this connection in a simple but effective way. The paper addresses three main questions: (1) What is power and how can a gender perspective help us understand it? (2) What is gender and how can a power perspective help us understand it?, and (3) What policy and operational messages follow from a focus on gender and power? By using a series of case study examples from a variety of different contexts, the note reviews the mainstream discussions on the concept of power in development and the insights a gender perspective contributes to these debates. This note concludes by highlighting two practical implications: the need for both a more gender- conscious approach to thinking and working politically and a more politically-informed approach to supporting gender equality.