Lessons from Thailand to Advance Gender-Inclusive Infrastructure Worldwide

Authors: Clara Feng, CoST Regional Manager for Asia, and Charlotte Broyd, CoST Senior Communications Manager, September 1 2020 - When we talk about gender-inclusive infrastructure, the image that often comes to mind is a gender-inclusive design that considers the needs of women, such as safe public spaces and proper sanitation facilities. But what goes on behind the design of the infrastructure? How are female stakeholders involved in the design, planning and delivery of infrastructure? What is the level of participation of female stakeholders at each stage as contributors and users of infrastructure?

CoST - the Infrastructure Transparency Initiative (CoST) works worldwide to deliver better quality infrastructure and has recently begun to look at how its approach can answer these questions. When quality infrastructure is delivered, it can have profound economic and social impact on the community; when it is not, the detrimental impact can be felt more significantly by women [PDF].

To achieve quality infrastructure, CoST promotes the use of its internationally recognised data standards that allow stakeholders to track infrastructure project delivery and further accountability. At present, the CoST Infrastructure Data Standard [PDF] (CoST IDS) requiring publication of 40 data points across the project cycle does not make explicit reference to social attributes. The data points such as the project cost, number of bidders, and contract variations do not capture gender nuances. And until recently, CoST did not have specific tools to measure the level of gender inclusion across its programmes.

How can infrastructure transparency and gender inclusion objectives align?

To understand how the CoST approach can address key gender issues in the infrastructure sector, Dr. Maria Prado, CoST's Senior Policy and Research Adviser, recently undertook an inaugural gender audit of its Thailand programme (one of its more mature members, whose programme is supported by the UK Prosperity Fund and the United Nations Development Programme - UNDP). Through desk and field work comprising interviews and observations, the audit set out to ascertain the programme's:

1. Gender demographic representation;
2. Level of gender awareness and gender barriers; and
3. Diversity strategies that have been applied or endorsed.

What the findings show

The key findings as outlined in 'Enhancing inclusive infrastructure: A review of gender equality in CoST Thailand', published today, show a surprisingly high level of gender awareness and a high quantitative female representation within the programme - marked by an average 50% female participation.

On the surface, this could indicate that Thailand's infrastructure sector is atypical to other sectors. For example, UNDP's 2019 research [PDF] shows that female participation in the labour market is 60.5% compared to 77.3% for men. However, on closer look, we found that the majority of women were employed in junior positions – something that could present an issue if they hit a 'glass ceiling'.

A robust policy to provide an objective balance

Another issue that emerged during the study's interviews was a lack of knowledge on how to go about mainstreaming gender equality in the programme. This is further evidenced by the fact that there is no specific policy or related strategic planning in place to help achieve this objectively.

Such a policy, as recommended in the study, could cover important accommodation for women, including flexible working hours, female mentorship, maternity leave support and training on gender equality laws. It could also provide defined criteria to be followed for the process of hiring and retention or promotion of females.

Enhancing equality in the community

Like other CoST programmes, CoST Thailand has been highly successful in amplifying the voice of communities through public forum events, where key issues on infrastructure projects are put to decision makers.

Notably, the study has highlighted the need to increase female participation in these activities. Whilst some women attend the events, they often take a back seat and have a low level of engagement compared to men. Addressing this is key to fighting the ongoing perception that construction is a 'male activity', which only serves to reinforce stereotypes.

We highlight key lessons from our Uganda programme in how they have promoted gender participation at similar events. This includes accommodation for females (such as childcare and toilets) and prioritising questions from women and girls.

Scaling up gender-inclusive infrastructure worldwide

We at CoST believe that the publication provides an excellent starting point to help Thailand and other CoST members and initiatives to enhance sectoral gender inclusion in their countries. In addition to the Uganda example above, good practices identified in other programmes can be used, such as in Honduras, where records of gender participation are kept for all events (internal and external) - from governance meetings, workshops and seminars to civil society training and report launches. And to help us assess and track progression, we at the CoST International Secretariat have updated our overarching indicators to track member progress on gender participation globally.

There are many initiatives and organisations working exclusively on gender equality, and our initial work in this area has shown how we and others working on a sector-specific level can contribute to shared objectives. By placing greater emphasis on diversity, we can add further depth to our mission of better lives from better infrastructure.

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