CIMMYT Gender Institutional Monitoring: Report 2019

Abstract

This report is based on an institutional gender monitoring database created by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) Gender Unit, which was compiled by Marion Buettner until March of 2020 when her contract expired. By the end of 2020 and beginning of 2021 this database was interpreted by a new CIMMYT gender expert, Angela Meentzen, PhD, who was also responsible for the elaboration of this report. Several parts of this report, especially the survey database and the description of the methods in the monitoring process are based on drafts by Marion Buettner, while other parts of this report, such as Checklist 5 and data interpretation are entirely the responsibility of Angela Meentzen, who produced them in her home office in Berlin, Germany. Thus, they include an external perspective on the results of this monitoring process, which is included in the chapter on recommendations. The special conditions created by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 have limited the access to more detailed information to refine the analysis of this monitoring process, including individual answers to parts of the surveys and to information about specific research projects as well as further details about procedures related to relatively new institutional policies. The number of responses by CIMMYT staff to the survey in 2019 was rather limited with a lot less responses received than expected. Therefore, the results of this monitoring process may not be entirely representative of the research projects and staff opinions at CIMMYT at that time. However, when we compare the results of the gender monitoring process for 2019 with the gender audits for the CGIAR Research Programs on Maize (MAIZE) and Wheat (WHEAT) of 2013 and reviews of CIMMYT’s gender integration of previous years, they are relevant and can and should be considered as important tools for institutional improvements towards greater gender equality at CIMMYT in the future.