Solution Exchange

Overview

What is the Solution Exchange for the Gender Community? The Gender Community promotes gender equality and women’s empowerment in India, focusing on increasing development effectiveness to improve the gender and girl child situation, promote a rights-based approach to development, and ensure gender mainstreaming. Solution Exchange connects members of this Community and increases the effectiveness of their individual efforts, helping them share and apply each other’s knowledge and experience. Through Solution Exchange, colleagues can turn to their peers across India for solutions to the day-to-day challenges they face. What are some of the issues covered by this Community? Gender disparity in sex ratio in school enrolment, literacy levels and wages Issues of indigenous women Women’s employment and livelihood opportunities in sectors Women and health Trafficking in women and children Violence and vulnerability of women in crisis situation Rights-based approach Women’s participation and decision making in governance Social security for women, including the elderly and women headed households Engendering policies, programs and institutions (i.e. gender budgeting) Who should become a member of the Gender Community? Field workers from an NGOs, government agencies or private sector School headmistresses or headmasters or district education administrators attempting to increase girl’s access to education Community leaders or local level activists Entrepreneurs promoting economic opportunities for women Legal, judicial or political professionals Planner or policy administrators Programme officers of donor agencies Researchers and academics Other professionals interested in gender equality and women's empowerment Membership Profile

		Since its start in June 2005, the Gender Community has grown to over 2,200 members, joining at an average of 16 persons a week. 18% of the members have posted one or more messages. Based on quarterly sample surveys of members, the benefits gained from membership averages out at 4.1 out of 5 "stars"

45% of the members work in NGOs, 11% in Government agencies, and 14% in policy or research institutes or academia. 10% work in the private sector or are independent consultants. 20% work for UN or other donor agencies, programmes and projects, or professional associations. Regionally, membership balances out between 27% in the North and 11% in the West; 5% come from outside India.