What this life looks like
You work to make development work for everyone — especially those most often left out. Gender and Inclusion Specialists integrate gender analysis and intersectional thinking into development programmes, research, and policy — ensuring that women, girls, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ communities, and other marginalised groups are not merely beneficiaries but genuine agents of development. This is one of the most intellectually rigorous and politically significant areas of international development work.
What she actually does
You conduct gender analyses to understand how power, resources, and risks are distributed differently between men and women and across other marginalised identities, design programmes with gender-responsive or gender-transformative approaches, train colleagues on gender mainstreaming, advise organisations on integrating inclusion into their strategies and operations, monitor and evaluate programmes for gender outcomes, and advocate for policy change.
Where you can work
| Sector | Places in Africa |
|---|---|
| Development Organisations | UN Women Africa, UNWOMEN, UNICEF Gender, USAID Gender Office, CARE Gender Team |
| NGOs | Akili Dada (Kenya), Camfed Africa, Girls Not Brides, FAWE (Forum for African Women Educationalists) |
| Government | National Gender Ministries, Gender Directorates in sector ministries, African Union Gender Directorate |
| Research | International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), African Population & Health Research Center (APHRC) |
Why it matters in Africa
Gender inequality is one of the most powerful drivers of poverty and underdevelopment in Africa. Women own less land, earn less income, have less access to education and healthcare, and are more vulnerable to violence — not because of anything inherent to women but because of systems that deliberately or inadvertently exclude them. Gender and inclusion specialists who can identify these systems and design interventions that change them are doing work with multiplier effects across entire communities.
Your pathway in
- Study Gender Studies, Development Studies, Social Science, or Law with a gender focus
- Pursue postgraduate study in Gender and Development — SOAS, UCT, Makerere, and African universities offer strong programmes
- Develop skills in gender analysis tools: gender audit methodologies, Women's Empowerment Index, and social norms analysis frameworks
- Build experience working directly with marginalised communities — understanding exclusion from the inside out is essential
- Connect with FAWE (Forum for African Women Educationalists), UN Women Africa, and national gender equality organisations
Skills you will need
- Gender analysis frameworks
- Programme design with gender lens
- Social norms and power analysis
- Monitoring for gender outcomes
- Policy advocacy
- Facilitation of sensitive discussions
A woman in this field
Aya Chebbi
Tunisia
Aya is a Tunisian activist, diplomat, and the African Union's first-ever Youth Envoy — appointed to advocate for youth participation in African governance and development. A founding member of the Africa No Filter initiative and a vocal feminist, she has spent her career challenging the exclusion of women, young people, and marginalised communities from Africa's development agenda. She has spoken at the UN General Assembly, the African Union Summit, and global forums on the transformative power of inclusive development and feminist foreign policy.
Take your first step
- Research UN Women at unwomen.org and study their work in Africa — their publications on gender equality, women's economic empowerment, and ending gender-based violence are essential reading for anyone entering this field
- Study the African Union's Gender, Peace and Security Programme — it is the continental framework for gender mainstreaming across African development and governance
- Read 'Half the Sky' by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn — it is the most widely read popular account of women's inequality across the developing world and makes the development case for gender equality compellingly
- Connect with a local women's rights organisation or gender equality advocacy group and volunteer — direct engagement with gender inequality in your community is the best preparation for this career