Resources
We have produced a range of journal articles, tool kits, briefs, videos, webinars and other outputs that can help you think through how to take a gendered approach to health systems research and support ethical practice.
Maternal and newborn health for women with walking disabilities in Uganda
Understanding the needs of women with walking disabilities is key in formulating flexible, acceptable and responsive health systems to their needs and hence to improve their access to care.
Disrupting gender norms in health systems
Restrictive gender norms and gender inequalities are replicated and reinforced in health systems, contributing to gender inequalities in health. In this paper, we explore how to address all three through recognition and then with disruptive solutions. We used intersectional feminist theory to guide our systematic reviews, qualitative case studies based on lived experiences, and quantitative […]
How is gender addressed in the governance of the Kenyan health system?
The importance of taking account of gender in the attainment of good health outcomes is well documented. Engendering health systems governance would not only lead to better health outcomes for people of various genders but also potentially harness the power of the health system to act on gender inequity in society more broadly. Health systems […]
How is gender addressed in Kenyan policies on access to health services?
To achieve Universal Health Coverage by 2030, efforts will be needed to ensure marginalized groups are identified and reached, and that the barriers they face in accessing services are removed. Particular attention will need to be paid to understanding and addressing the complex gendered dimensions of marginalization and exclusion. The starting point for this is […]
Community health policy in Kenya. How is gender addressed?
We need to strengthen community health systems to achieve Universal Health Coverage by 2030. Gender intersects with community health in several ways. For example, gender norms can delay men from accessing healthcare because of cultural norms surrounding masculinity. Gendered labour roles that mean men are usually working during hours when community health care is provided. […]
Alen Mkhwana: Why is gender important for health systems policy in Kenya?
A short interview with Alen Mkhwana of the African Academy of Sciences on gender and health systems policy in Kenya.
Gender and Community Health Worker programmes in fragile and conflict-affected settings. Findings from Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Liberia
This brief provides recommendations and guidance for practitioners and policy makers who have responsibility for CHW programmes. It suggests some ways that their workforce may be affected by gender norms and recommends what actions can betaken to address them.
How gender influences the services of community health workers in Sierra Leone
The ways in which gender roles and relations shape heath experiences and access to services emerged as a key theme. Community Health Workers also used photovoice to demonstrate
how they negotiate gendered and cultural norms within their communities to promote better health. This booklet explores how gender shapes livelihoods, risks, experiences of pregnancy and health seeking behaviour.
Gender dynamics in digital health: overcoming blind spots and biases to seize opportunities and responsibilities for transformative health systems
While digital health provides opportunities to transform gender relations, gender is an intimate and deeply structural form of social inequality that rarely changes due to a single initiative or short-term project.
Strengthening health systems for the urban poor in Pokhara, Nepal
Identifying the urban poor and increasing their access to basic health services is difficult for policy makers as currently there are no data at the local level. As part of COMDIS, HERD International is working in Pokhara (Nepal) to stimulate multi-sectoral responses to create an urban health system able to improve health and social outcomes […]