03.04.2025
Feminist movements – a key to transformation
A recent research project demonstrates that feminists around the globe are driving societal transformation. They therefore play an important role in ensuring effective international cooperation.
Feminist movements are driving societal transformation. International cooperation should provide targeted support to achieve sustainable outcomes and greater gender equality.
This is the conclusion reached by Local Feminist Perspectives as Transformation Levers for Greater Gender Equality, a study conducted by the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) for the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.
Driving reform and justice
Thanks to its self-financed project Local Feminist Perspectives as Transformation Levers in Partner Countries (LOKAFEM), GIZ now has a more accurate picture of how feminists in India, Ghana and Ukraine are changing their societies for the better and improving living conditions for many people.
Feminists in Ghana are driving political reforms by lobbying, forging alliances with media outlets and joining forces with others. In India, women’s organisations are using feminist pedagogy to achieve greater health and climate justice. Here too the focus is on joint solutions and economic participation, from training women as solar energy technicians to agro-ecological communities. Meanwhile, in Ukraine, feminists are defending their country’s independence in the middle of the war, and reducing inequalities by reorganising care work and challenging rigid gender roles.
Ingrid-Gabriela Hoven, GIZ Managing Director, stresses, ‘The research findings make it clear that gender equality cannot be a secondary objective. It is essential for sustainable development, peace and social justice.’
Sustainable results through feminist approaches
The study provides concrete examples of how women’s movements help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It demonstrates that feminist movements not only offer individual support for women and marginalised genders, but also drive structural transformation such as legal reform to ensure greater gender justice and access to resources. This is an important contribution to better governance and greater political participation for everybody in society.
Research findings like these are channelled into GIZ’s work and make our projects more impactful. Nora Pistor, project manager of the GIZ self-initiated measure explains, ‘LOKAFEM shows us how important it is to have a nuanced understanding of feminist approaches, so that we can maximise the effectiveness of development programmes.’
The three country studies and the synthesis study are available worldwide free of charge.
Access the studies here: Description – German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS)
