Gender Analysis for Global Health

Programs

CORE Group Fall MeetingJoy Cunningham

Jennifer PendletonElisabeth Rottach

October 15, 2013

Welcome/Introductions

Gender Overview – Terminology and Approaches

USAID Policy on Gender Equality and Female Empowerment

Participant Approaches and Successes in Gender

Gender Integration in Practice

Conclusion and Resources

Agenda

Gender

Rules for how women and men should behave

The roles, responsibilities, behavior and attributes that a particular society considers appropriate for women and men

What does “gender” mean?

• Adherence to rigid gender roles can create a gender gap

unequal options, opportunities and realities that women and men experience

• Inequality impacts health, influences health programs

Why does gender matter?

5Source: WHO, Why Gender and Health?

Women Men

Legal rights

Social and political spaces

Income

Education

Informal labor market

Education

Credit and savings groups

• Exposure to risk factors

• Access to & understanding of information about health�• Patterns of service use

• Health decision-making

• Perceptions of quality of care�

Gender influences women’s and men’s experiences related to health

6

Source: Adapted from Caro 2009

Gender Integration

Developing or adapting programs to remove gender as a barrier to good health

Gender Integration Continuum

8Source: See www.igwg.org

Gender approaches

9

Health program area

Gender barrier Accommodative Approach

Transformative Approach

Maternal health Women do not have access or control over own income

Provide free maternal and child health services

Provide free maternal and child health services AND foster women’s credit and savings groups

Family planning Men are final decision-makers regarding use of contraceptives

Integrate FP counseling into neonatal visits

Offer couple counseling on FP (constructive male engagement)

Maternal and neonatal health

Women’s heavy workload does not permit time to visit health clinic for antenatal visits

Conduct antenatal home visits

Conduct SBCC campaign to promote more equitable sharing of household work amongst couples

USAID Policy on Gender Equality and Female

Empowerment

USG Policy Overview USAID Gender Equality & Female Empowerment Policy

US Strategy to Prevent & Respond to GBV Globally

USAID Vision for Action: Ending Child Marriage & Meeting the needs of Married Children

Counter-Trafficking in Persons

National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Secutrity

Youth in Development Policy

USG Action Plan on Children in Adversity

Goal:

Improve the lives of citizens around the world by advancing equality between females and males, and empowering women and girls to participate fully in and benefit from the development of their societies.

Gender Equality and Female Empowerment Policy

Reduce gender disparities in access to, control over and benefit from resources, wealth, opportunities and services economic, social, political, and cultural;

Reduce gender-based violence and mitigate its harmful effects on individuals and communities; and

Increase capability of women and girls to realize their rights, determine their life outcomes, and influence decision-making in households, communities, and societies.

Overarching Objectives

Integrate gender equality and female empowerment into USAID’s work

Pursue an inclusive approach to foster equality

Build partnerships across a wide range of stakeholders

Harness science, technology, and innovation to reduce gender gaps and empower women and girls

Address the unique challenges in crisis and conflict-affected environments

Serve as a thought-leader and a learning community

Hold ourselves accountable

Operational Principles

• Gender Analysis

• A tool to help us better understand women’s and

men’s lives

What is Gender Analysis?

Examines relational differences in women’s and men’s and girls’ and boys’

roles and identities needs and interests access to and exercise of power

and the impact of these differences in their lives and health.

Health Program

Limited control over income

Has to ask permission from her husband to leave the home

Community norms devalue women’s health issues

Laws do not protect women from violence

Beliefs that men are weak if they seek health care

FP services target women, therefore men are uninformed about contraceptives but still the key decision-maker regarding FP use

Social norms encourage men to be strong - discourage them from being nurturing fathers

Laws do not support men’s involvement in family planning

Applying a gender lens

Knowledge, be-liefs and percep-

tions

Access to resources

Practices, roles and par-ticipation

Legal rights and status

Power

The Gender Pie

Case Study: Timor Leste

Small Group Activity

Gender Analysis In Practice

www.healthpolicyproject.com

Thank You!

The Health Policy Project is a five-year cooperative agreement funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development under Agreement No. AID-OAA-A-10-00067, beginning September 30, 2010. It is implemented by Futures Group, in collaboration with CEDPA (CEDPA is now a part of Plan International USA), Futures Institute, Partners in Population and Development, Africa Regional Office (PPD ARO), Population Reference Bureau (PRB), RTI International, and the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood (WRA).

Join the discussion: Community of Practice on Scale-up and Gender, Policy and Measurement, at http://knowledge-gateway.org/scaleupcop