Gender analysis focuses on understanding and documenting the differences in gender roles, activities, needs, and opportunities in a given context.
Gender analysis involves the disaggregation of quantitative data by gender.
It highlights the different roles and learned behavior of men and women based on gender attributes. The concept of gender analysis arose from the need to mainstream women's interests while at the same time acknowledging that women could not be treated as a homogeneous group. It was realized that women's needs were better understood when viewed in relation to men's needs and roles and to their social, cultural, political, and economic context. Gender analysis thus takes into account women's roles in production, reproduction, and management of community and other activities. Changes in one may produce beneficial or detrimental effects in others.