Gender and Development (GAD) is a development framework that examines how socially constructed gender roles, relations, and power dynamics influence access to resources, opportunities, and decision‑making, and seeks to transform the structures that perpetuate inequality. In the Philippines, GAD is mandated and guided by the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) as the national framework for gender mainstreaming, in accordance with the Magna Carta of Women (Republic Act No. 9710), which affirms gender equality as a human right and requires all government institutions to dismantle discriminatory systems and practices. GAD moves beyond viewing women as beneficiaries and instead addresses gender relations as a critical dimension of sustainable social, economic, and political development.

In the education sector, GAD is operationalized through DepEd Order No. 32, s. 2017, or the Gender‑Responsive Basic Education Policy, which mandates the integration of gender equality, equity, non‑discrimination, and human rights in education governance, teaching‑learning processes, and workplace systems. GAD exists to address persistent gender issues—such as discrimination, stereotypes, gender‑based violence, and exclusion of marginalized learners and personnel—through systemic, planned, and accountable interventions. Through gender mainstreaming in policy development, planning, budgeting, implementation, and monitoring, GAD promotes inclusive, safe, and empowering learning and working environments, aligned with national laws and international commitments such as CEDAW and the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 5 on gender equality.