The importance of gender analysis in research for health systems strengthening
Date
2017Author
Theobald, Sally
Morgan, Rosemary
Hawkins, Kate
Ssali, Sarah
George, Asha S.
Molyneux, Sassy
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This editorial discusses a collection of papers examining gender across a range of health policy and
systems contexts, from access to services, governance, health financing, and human resources for
health. The papers interrogate differing health issues and core health systems functions using a gender
lens. Together they produce new knowledge on the multiple impacts of gender on health experiences
and demonstrate the importance of gender analyses and gender sensitive interventions for
promoting well-being and health systems strengthening. The findings from these papers collectively
show how gender intersects with other axes of inequity within specific contexts to shape experiences
of health and health seeking within households, communities and health systems; illustrate how
gender power relations affect access to important resources; and demonstrate that gender norms,
poverty and patriarchy interplay to limit women’s choices and chances both within household interactions
and within the health sector. Health systems researchers have a responsibility to promote the
incorporation of gender analyses into their studies in order to inform more strategic, effective and
equitable health systems interventions, programmes, and policies. Responding to gender inequitable
systems, institutions, and services in this sector requires an ‘all hands-on deck’ approach. We cannot
claimto take a ‘people-centred approach’ to health systems if the status quo continues.
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