© Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation I Prashant Panjiar I Kiran Desai on the bank of the Godavari river at Rajamundhry I 2008

CRITICAL CONSCIOUSNESS

Women and girls gain critical consciousness when they identify and question how inequalities and power operate in their lives and affirm their sense of self and their rights. As a woman or girl gains critical consciousness, her “power within” is transformed and her aspirations and sense of self-awareness, confidence, self-esteem, and self-efficacy grow. It is this internal change that enables her to exercise agency. Ideal indicators to measure critical consciousness track: self-awareness, desire for change, aspirations for leadership, self-esteem, and perceptions of inferiority.

TIPS FOR MEASURING CRITICAL CONSCIOUSNESS AND BODILY INTEGRITY

  1. Use flexible and qualitative indicators to collect data on critical consciousness. It is crucial that they are informed by women and girls’ realities and desires, and can capture unanticipated changes over time.
  2. Use the WHO indicators when measuring violence against women as they are considered best-practice.
  3. Adhere to specific ethical and safety standards when measuring issues related to bodily integrity, especially violence against women and girls.

Illustrative Indicators

FINANCIAL SERVICES FOR THE POOR

OUTCOMES

Increased awareness of labor rights among women

INDICATORS

% of women who understand their employment rights

% of women who are confident negotiating working conditions with their employers

WATER, SANITATION AND HYGIENE

OUTCOMES

Increased self-efficacy of adolescent girls

INDICATORS

% of adolescent girls who report confidence in safely managing their menses

DIMENSIONS OF RESOURCES

Explore the other dimensions relating to resources via the links below.