News & Events
Adopting a gender lens in health systems policy
Read this new guide on gender and health systems policy, says Lynda Keeru. Because gender is everyone’s business and the key to Universal Health Coverage.
Introducing an ethics guide for health systems researchers
By Lynda Keeru As researchers, many of us worry about the value of our work and interventions, and even about whether we are doing more harm than good. These lurching feelings of discomfort could begin to be addressed through ethical reflection, review, and analysis, but all too often we see this as something that occurs […]
Call for expressions of interest to contribute to edited book on Women Leaders in Global Health
There is a growing interest in women’s role in global health leadership. We know that women are the majority of people working to improve health outcomes; in communities, as health care workers, and in non-governmental and multilateral organizations. So why is it that when it comes to leadership positions we have a governance system that […]
Multimedia meeting report: Health systems that transform gender norms
On the 28 February an international group of gender and health systems experts came together in Nairobi for a dialogue with their counterparts from the policy world. The meeting was an opportunity to look across domains of the health system that included community health, governance and access to services to identify how gender norms impede […]
Reflections on an intersectionality training
By Nancy Kagwanja, Dorothy Oluoch and Scholastica Zakayo Social scientists at the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust research programme in Kenya meet every year or so to share ideas, learning and careers. Our 10th meeting was a three-day gathering themed around power and the power dynamics that we as researchers encounter in our daily lives and in navigating […]
Five guiding principles for building health systems that transform gender norms
By Linda Waldman and Helen Elsey As researchers working in global health, we are very conscious that gender inequity often slips down the academic and political agenda. So, it was with pleasure that we accepted the invitation from RinGs to attend the workshop, ‘Building health systems that transform gender norms’. As David Musoke reminded us, […]
Kenyan policy makers discuss opportunities and challenges for gender transformative health systems
By Sassy Molyneux I was excited to attend an ALIGN funded policy meeting this week in Nairobi on behalf of KEMRI Wellcome Trust and RinGs. There were several ‘take homes’ for me: 1. Anybody who began the day thinking that health systems are gender neutral, technical institutions soon changed their minds Experiences of policy makers, […]
Meeting! Building health systems that transform gender norms
KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme and RinGs are hosting a workshop on Building Health Systems That Transform Gender Norms.
Gender and health systems strengthening: Reflections from the World Health Summit
Our recent session at the World Health Summit allowed us to reflect on how gender influences all dimensions of the health system – the workforce, financing, service delivery, governance, medical products and supplies, and information systems. Health workforce Globally, over 70% of the workforce in the health and social sectors is comprised of women. Women […]
Gender bias in the health workforce: why few women attain leadership positions
The emergence of global movements and women’s marches have set gender equality at the forefront of the global agenda. We are now in the era of deep reflection and discussions, and there is a recognized need for doing things differently. The health workforce is a great example of the need for change. Women are the […]
Including marginalised people in ‘people-centred health systems’
How do ‘people-centred health systems’ incorporate marginalised groups? Older models of health systems research tended to focus on the core elements, also known as ‘building blocks’ or ‘hardware’, for understanding and shaping the system – financing, health workforce, governance, medicines and other supplies, services and information systems. More recent work has explored the software of […]
Amplifying the voices of marginalized groups: What does intersectionality lens add?
By Sabrina Rasheed and Aazia Hossain Universal health coverage (UHC), is a top priority for the Government of Bangladesh. If universal health coverage is achieved, everyone would have access to quality healthcare services without any hardships. However, although Bangladesh has an extensive rural public healthcare infrastructure throughout the country, challenges still persist in the access […]
We are excited to support a range of gender sessions at the Global Symposium on Health Systems Research 2018
This year we are involved in a range of panels, skills building sessions and poster presentations which bring a gender and ethics lens to health systems research. Browse the full list below and do consider coming along to meet us! Monday 8 October SATELLITE! Deconstructing the Gender Bias in the Health Workforce: Why Few Women Attain […]
A reflection on gender issues across programmes in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Democratic Republic of Congo
The findings of the ReBUILD/RinGs Community Health Worker (CHW) project were shared and discussed at a one-day dissemination meeting in Freetown, Sierra Leone. The research, used a gender lens to try to identify how CHW cadres in Liberia, Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of Congo can be better supported to play an effective and […]
The vulnerability and health research paradox: Ethics, gender, trust and power
We were delighted to be part of a rich set of discussions on vulnerability, agency and resilience in a meeting organised by REACH in Oxford in May. Sassy Molyneux and Sally Theobald 13 June 2018 Maureen Kelley kicked off the day highlighting an important paradox in health research: on the one hand research can be […]
Integrating gender into health system strengthening in conflict and crisis-affected settings; what’s in our toolkit?
REGISTER FOR WEBINAR! https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3855812847389709827 – Friday 22 June 14.00 – 15.30:30 BST 07 June 2018 REGISTER FOR WEBINAR! https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3855812847389709827 Friday 22 June 14.00 – 15.30:30 BST In 2016 we held our first webinar on gender, asking the question, “What part should gender play in reconstructing post-conflict health systems?” Two-years on and much has changed. There is […]
Recognising and celebrating women who work on health in fragile and conflict affected contexts
The global health world does not do a good job of celebrating woman leaders. In their excellent Lancet article Rosemary Morgan and colleagues explained that of seven public health and medicine awards from diverse countries, the chances of a woman receiving a prize was nine out of 100 since their inception. Sally Theobald and Kate […]
Exploring experiences of women with disabilities living in poverty with pro-poor health financing policies in Kenya
Evelyn Kabia is a recipient of a RinG’s small research grant. She works at the KEMRI Wellcome Trust Research Programme (KWTRP), in Nairobi, Kenya and is a member of the RESYST consortium. Evelyn is working on a project which aims to examine the equity and pro-poorness of Universal Health Coverage reforms in Kenya. In this […]
Not business as usual: Make health facilities in Uganda friendly for the women with walking disabilities
It is very important for us to remember our commitments towards health care delivery like equitable health systems. Most efforts to improve Maternal and Newborn Health (MNH) outcomes in Uganda have focused on access and quality of care for women in general, paying no attention to special populations like women with walking disabilities with a […]
Can intersectionality get us closer to Universal Health Coverage?
Drawing on work from Debjani Barman and her study “Are the Women of Indian Sundarbans Living in Dark: A Gender Analysis of Eye Health Problem” this blog considers how we might ‘leave no one behind’ in our work on health. Manasee Mishra, IIHMR University, India 12 April 2018 Universal health coverage is aspirational. The commitment […]
The use of social network analysis to conduct gender analysis in health systems research
This blog explores the use of social network analysis to conduct gender analysis within health systems research, and explores the question: How has social network analysis been used to uncover “hidden” or “soft” influence and power in health systems research? Julie L. Evans 29 March 2018 On 8 September 2015, RinGs held a cross-RPC webinar […]
A focus on women in the health workforce on International Women’s Day
Just in time for International Women’s Day 2018 the Gender Equity Hub (coordinated by Women in Global Health and The WHO Global Health Workforce Network) held a hard-hitting webinar on Gender Transformative Approaches in the Health and Social Sectors. Drawing on expert opinion from Africa, Europe and the Caribbean the speakers described a sector in […]
Ten reasons to be cheerful
If you work on women’s rights and gender you may be feeling a little deflated by the last twelve months. It is easy to be demoralised by the stories which rush past our Twitter feed or jump out from newspaper headlines. To cheer myself up I decided to put together a list of RinGs’ top […]
NEW SUPPLEMENT Leaving no one behind: the role of gender analysis in strengthening health systems
We are delighted to announce the publication of our journal supplement on gender and health systems research! RinGs 14 December 2017 This supplement brings a gender lens to bear on the health system, uncovering new learning which can help us to build more equitable and people-centred research, policy, and practice globally and in different low- and middle-income […]
Gender trends at the 2017 Global Forum on Human Resources for Health
A few weeks have passed since the 2017 Global Forum on Human Resources for Health which has given some space to reflect on what we heard about gender at the event. By Kate Hawkins, Sally Theobald, Roopa Dhatt, Sarah Ssali, Rosemary Morgan, Kerry Scott, Kelly Thompson, and Rosie Steege 07 December 2017 Overall the prognosis […]
An online learning resource on gender and health for the European Commission
We supported a new open access online learning resource on Gender and Health Systems, drawing on case studies developed in the Building Back Better project. This collaborative process helped to galvanise gender analysis in policy and practice. Sally Theobald and Joanna Raven 20 November 2017 We recently had the opportunity to work with the […]
Global health emergencies: Bridging the research and practice divide
Katharine Wright 13 November 2017 Last December, the Nuffield Council on Bioethics hosted a workshop, bringing together experts from a wide range of disciplines to explore the ethical challenges of conducting research in global health emergencies. One of the key issues that emerged from that debate (pdf) was the way in which, in the context of a […]
Gender analysis at the Global Forum on Human Resources for Health
From the 13-17 November 2017 we will be joining like-minded researchers, health care workers and policy makers at the Fourth Global Forum on Human Resources for Health. 08 November 2017 There will be a few opportunities during the week to catch up with the RinGs team, come and say hello. We are really excited about […]
Gender Equality in the Global Health Workforce – working for a new status quo
In this blog post, Linda Waldman discusses a recent session at the World Health Summit on Gender Equality within the Global Health Workforce, exploring key themes which emerged, how far we’ve come, and what we can do to bring about change in this area. Linda Waldman, Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex 03 November […]
How does gender impact the quality of community-level health data? Examples from rural and urban settings in Kenya
Community health workers labour at the frontline of the health system, yet there is little discussion of the ways in which their role is gendered. In this blog we explore how gender norms and relations effect the quality of data that community health workers collect. Regeru Njoroge, Rosie Steege and Kate Hawkins 01 November 2017 […]
We’re editing a new book on women’s leadership in global health
There is a growing interest in women’s role in global health leadership. We know that women are the majority of people working to improve health outcomes in communities, health facilities, non-governmental organizations, and multilateral organizations. So why is it that when it comes to leadership positions we have a governance system that privileges men and […]
RinGs at the 23rd Canadian Conference on Global Health
On October 31 we will be running a training, “From gender blind to gender transformative global health research.” 09 August 2017 The 23rd Canadian Conference on Global Health will take place from the 29-31 October in Ottawa. The theme of the conference is Leaving no one behind? Reflections for action in a changing world. RinGs will […]
Global health ethics frameworks, embedded ethics and new approaches to vulnerability
We recently attended the 2017 Oxford Global Health and Bioethics International Conference, aimed at promoting multidisciplinary and inclusive discussion of critically important ethical issues in global health. We were excited about several issues pertinent to health policy and systems research ethics discussed during this excellent meeting. Bridget Pratt and Sassy Molyneux 26 July 2017 […]
RinGs at the Oxford Global Health and Bioethics International Conference
From the 17-18 July RinGs will be attending the Oxford Global Health and Bioethics International Conference in the UK where we will be represented by Sassy Molyneux. The conference is an opportunity to talk across different disciplines, areas of health, and geographical locations to explore ethics in global health and find areas of overarching concern. Sassy will be […]
Evidence to accelerate progress toward meeting the need for family planning
Our colleague Sally Theobald will be presenting on building gender equitable health systems in post-conflict and crisis settings. 22 June 2017 To coincide with the 2017 Family Planning Summit, the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is hosting a research symposium in London, in collaboration with the DFID-funded Research Programme consortium Strengthening Evidence for Programming […]
Webinar: Health Systems Research Ethics
Health systems research ethics is a relatively new and emerging field, with numerous normative and descriptive questions that have largely not been considered. This webinar will explore the ethical issues arising in health systems research projects which may be unique or nuanced relative to biomedical research. 29 May 2017 Join: 05/30/2017 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM […]
Women and Global Health Leadership: Three things to consider
This blog discusses key themes that emerged during a session on women and global health leadership at the recent Consortium of Universities for Global Health Conference. Rosemary Morgan, Research in Gender and Ethics (RinGs): Building Stronger Health Systems, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health 27 April 2017 Gender inequity with global health leadership is […]
Emerging issues related to gender and community health workers
To celebrate International Women’s Day the REACHOUT Consortium held a symposium in Nairobi on “women in the changing world of work”. This symposium grew out of a recognition that the sex of the Community Health Worker (CHW) influences their interaction with the health system. Kate Hawkins, Sally Theobald, Rosie Steege, Maryse Kok, Mohsin Sidat, Kingsley […]
Evaluating public/community engagement: Implications for gender and ethics in health systems research
In this post, Sassy Molyneux discusses issues related to community engagement evaluation relevant for health policy and systems researchers interested in gender and ethics. Sassy Molyneux, Kemri-Wellcome Trust, Kenya 22 March 2017 I’ve just been at an excellent international workshop on community engagement evaluation in research, held in Naivasha, Kenya. It was an exciting opportunity […]
Women in the changing world of community health work
This blog explores gender and community health workers in the context of the theme of International Women’s Day: “Women in the changing world of work”. Lynda Keeru 17 March 2017 During US President Obama’s visit to Kenya in July 2015, he warned that nations would not succeed if they continued treating women as “second class” […]
International Women’s Day, women’s health and gender: Four things to consider as health practitioners and researchers
This blog explores the relationship between women’s health and gender inequity, identifying key points for health practitioners and researchers to consider. Rosemary Morgan, Kui Muraya, Kate Hawkins, Sassy Molyneux, Linda Waldman 08 March 2017 This International Women’s Day, March 8 2017, we consider the relationship between women’s health and gender inequity and identify key points […]
Reflections from the UCL gender and health launch
This blog discusses three key take home messages from the launch of the UCL Center for Gender and Health. Eleanor MacPherson, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine 02 March 2017 Two years ago, when my son was two years old we met one of his friends from nursery in the park. They ran around together […]
It is chilling: The Mexico City Policy, gender, and health systems
This blog explores the Mexico City Policy in the context of health systems research, examining implications for the health systems community. Kate Hawkins, Rosemary Morgan, Linda Waldman, Helen Elsey, Rebecca King, Sally Theobald 27 February 2017 “While this is not the place to examine in detail the many facets of this policy, it is necessary […]
Putting the power and politics into health systems research
This blog explores the need to frame the next Global Symposium on Health Systems Research on issues related to power, politics, equity, and rights, while offering key areas for exploration. Kate Hawkins, Sally Theobald, Helen Elsey, Rosemary Morgan, Linda Waldman 22 February 2017 Heath Systems Global have opened a call for suggestions on the theme of the […]
Promoting Women’s Leadership in Resource-Poor Settings
This blog explores issues surrounding women’s health leadership in resource poor settings. Adnan Hyder, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health 06 February 2017 Women’s health has long been a central focus in the field of public health. It is well-known that many health disparities exist between men and women all over the world due […]
Power and prejudice: How does inequity play out in the institutions and processes of health systems research?
This blog explores how power and prejudice manifest within the institutions and processes of health systems research. 18 January 2017 Co-facilitators Kate Hawkins (RinGs), Roopa Dhatt (Women in Global Health), Sreytouch Vong (RinGs), Rosemary Morgan (RinGs & John Hopkins), Kati Wilkins (Women in Global Health), and Sarah Ssali (RinGs) Event Date: 16 November 2016 Location: […]
Gender and the Fourth Global Symposium on Health Systems Research: Five things that stood out
This blog discusses five things that stood out in relation to gender at the Fourth Global Symposium on Health Systems Research. Rosemary Morgan and Kate Hawkins 13 December 2016 As people with a profound interest in gender and health systems, it was a pleasure to attend the recent Global Symposium on Health Systems Research in Vancouver last […]
Five things I learned from the RinGs webinar on gender and health systems
This blog explores some of the key themes that were discussed during a recent webinar on the role of gender in health systems. Kate Hawkins (Director of Pamoja Communications) 09 December 2016 This week I was lucky to attend the Research in Gender and Ethics (RinGs) webinar where we learned more from colleagues who received […]
How gender roles and relations affect health workers’ training opportunities and career progression in rural Zimbabwe: Implications for equitable health systems
This blog discusses key gender-related factors affecting health workers’ training opportunities and career progression in Zimbabwe. Stephen Buzuzi, Biomedical Research and Training Institute, Zimbabwe 05 December 2016 Although there is increasing attention to the role of gender in health systems, there is limited empirical evidence on how human resources for health are influenced by gender. […]
Webinar: The Role of Gender within Health Systems
RinGs is hosting a webinar on the role of gender in health systems on December 8 2016. 30 November 2016 Interested in finding out more about how gender affects health systems? This webinar will present findings from a number of RinGs research projects exploring the role of gender within health systems in Africa and Asia, […]
Indigenous knowledge and intersectionality: “Incremental radicalism” and front line health workers
Health Systems Global 2016 was opened by leaders of the Canadian First Nation community through song and dance and a discussion of how health has four components: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. The First Nations Perspective on Health and Wellness stress the need for a balance between these aspects of wellness and that they are […]
Power and prejudice: How does inequity play out in the institutions and processes of health systems research?
Join us at our session on power and prejudice in health systems research at #HSR2016. 03 November 2016 Date: Wednesday 16 November Time: 14:00-15:30 Location: Fourth Global Symposium on Health Systems Research, Meeting Room 13 Too often inequities in terms of gender, age, class, sexuality, dis/ability, ethnicity, nationality within research systems and institutions are not […]
Symposium on Community Health Workers and their Contribution towards the Sustainable Development Goals
Announcement of an upcoming conference on Community Health Workers and the Sustainable Development Goals. 28 October 2016 Makerere University College of Health Sciences, School of Public Health, Uganda in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, UK and Ministry of Health, Uganda have organised a symposium with the theme: Contribution of Community Health Workers (CHWs) in attainment […]
Gender and Men’s Health: Changing the Discourse
This blog discusses the role of gender on men’s health and the discourse surrounding it. Nimali Widanapathirana, Eleanor Beth Whyle, Angela Y. Chang, Joseph O. Dodoo, and Rosemary Morgan 26 October 2016 As health systems researchers and policymakers we need to remember that the word “gender” is not synonymous with “woman.” Gender analysis is about […]
The Role of Men in Improving Maternal Health
This blog explores the role of men in maternal health and asks: does an inherent tension exist? Sana Contractor, ASM Shahabuddin, Linda Waldman, Asha George, Rosemary Morgan 24 October 2016 There has been a lot of attention on women’s maternal health, not least because of the MDG targets, and this will continue with the SDGs. But […]
Gender, leadership and governance: what did we learn from the World Health Summit?
This blog discusses lessons learned at the World Health Summit in response to gender, leadership, and governance. By Sally Theobald, RinGs and ReBUILD 20 October 2016 Governance is a core pillar of health systems – if we are to strengthen health systems and meet the gender and health related Sustainable Development Goals greater gender parity and gender responsive, transformative leadership are […]
Women and Leadership within the Cambodian Health Sector
This blog discusses key constraining and enabling factors affecting women’s career advancement within the health sector in Cambodia Sreytouch Vong and Bandeth Ros 18 October 2016 Globally, there are more than 59 million health workers; despite women making up the vast majority of the health workforce, however, men occupy the majority of leadership positions. Health […]
Research in Gender and Ethics (RinGs): Building Stronger Health Systems at #HSR2016
A summary of RinGs’ events and sessions at #HSR2016 18 October 2016 RinGs’ is excited to announce our involvement at the Fourth Global Symposium on Health Systems Research, held in Vancouver from 14-18 November 2016. Our events include a skills-building session on how to do gender analysis in health systems research, presentations and posters focusing […]
Gender & Health System Leadership: Increasing Women’s Representation at the Top
This blog explores strategies to increase representation of women in health system leadership Radhika Arora, Esther Nakkazi and Rosemary Morgan 14 October 2016 Women make up the bulk of the healthcare workforce but so few are in the top leadership roles. The role of women in leadership, or rather the lack of women in leadership […]
How to do gender analysis in health systems research skills-building session at #HSR2016
Coming to the Fourth Global Symposium on Health Systems Research? Join us at our skills-building session on how to do gender analysis in HSR! 12 October 2016 Attending the Fourth Global Symposium on Health Systems Research? Learn how to incorporate gender analysis into your health systems research! Date: Monday 14 November Time: 8:00am-12:00pm Location: Meeting […]
Gender Networking Meet & Greet at #HSR2016
Attending the Fourth Global Symposium on Health Systems Research? Interested in gender and HSR? Join us for a networking event! 12 October 2016 Coming to the Fourth Global Symposium on Health Systems Research? Interested in Gender and Health Systems? Want to meet other likeminded people? Join us for a Gender Networking Event! Event Details: Gender […]
E-health in Sidama Zone: improving the social currency of health extension workers?
This blog explores how e-health can be used to create a more gender equitable health response in Ethiopia. Rosalind Steege, Daniel G. Datiko and Sally Theobald 29 September 2016 “It’s easy to use, I enter data on the spot, including client location and save the data. It’s much easier and quicker than the paper based […]
Why are maternal health outcomes worse for migrant women in Masindi, Uganda?
This blog post discusses barriers to internal migrant’s access and utilisation of maternal and new born care services in Masindi, Uganda. Richard Mangwi Ayiasi, Alice Jean Mangwi, Ann Kiiza, Christopher Garimoi Orach – Makerere University, School of Public Health 27 September 2016 Globally, 298,000 women die due to pregnancy related causes each year and half of these […]
Mainstreaming gender into PMTCT guidelines in Tanzania
This blog explores the gender content of key PMTCT policy documents and discusses how this area could be strengthened. Tumaini Nyamhanga, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Tanzania 21 September 2016 In Tanzania, the prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) is a health sector priority, but there is very little […]
Strengthening male involvement in prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Enugu State, Nigeria
This blog explores the extent of male involvement in PMTCT in Enugu state, Nigeria and its effects on women’s access to and use of PMTCT services. Nkoli Ezumah, Chinyere Mbachu,Obinna Onwujekwe, Ifeanyi Chikezie, Ogo Ibe, Patricia Uju Agbawodikeizu & Kingsley Amadi, Health Policy Research Group, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria 19 September 2016 Nigeria […]
Gender analysis of family care for the elderly: evidence from Beijing, China
This blog discusses differences in receiving family care among the elderly in China. Dr Hao Xiaoning and Liu Tianyang, China National Health Development Research Center 14 September 2016 Care giving within households is the foundation of health systems, especially for the elderly population in China where 98.1% of the elderly rely on daily care […]
Male involvement in the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF/KfW) prepaid insurance card for pregnant women in Pangani District, Tanzania
This blog discusses factors associated with male involvement in access and use of health services in Tanzania and identifies strategies that can be used to increase male involvement. Tani Kassimu, August Kuwawenaruwa, Jitihada Baraka, Fatuma Manzi, – IFAKARA Health Institute, Tanzania 13 September 2016 In Tanzania, estimates from 2010 show a maternal mortality ratio (MMR) of […]
Training Community Health Workers during Photovoice Research on Gender and Ethics in Health Systems
This blog discusses the use of photovoice to explore issues related to gender and ethics within the health system in Uganda. Dr. David Musoke and Charles Ssemugabo, Makerere University School of Public Health, Uganda 04 August 2016 Gender and ethics are important aspects of the health system in terms of human resources and health […]
Strengthening efforts to achieve gender equity within global health leadership: Announcing the Women in Global Health and RinGs partnership
In the post, RinGs introduces its partnership with Women in Global Health (WGH), explaining what WGH is, what it does, and what it aims to achieve. WGH and RinGs 05 July 2016 RinGs is excited to announce its partnership with Women in Global Health (WGH). Like RinGs, WGH is dedicated to achieving gender equity within global […]
Gender and Ethics at the Fourth Global Symposium on Health Systems Research
RinGs’ is excited to announce its involvement at the Fourth Global Symposium on Health Systems Research, held in Vancouver from 14-18 November 2016. The symposium focuses on resilient and responsive health systems for a changing world. RinGs 27 June 2016 We were excited to see that this year’s conference has a stream dedicated to […]
Learning from struggles for social justice: launch of the Gender, Rights and Development (GRAND) network, 25th April, Edinburgh
In this blog post, Rachel Tolhurst discusses the launch of the GRAND Network and how intersectionality can be used in research. Rachel Tolhurst, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine 16 May 2016 How can we best strive for social justice in a complex, profoundly unequal and rapidly changing world? Although the discussions were very wide […]
Gender and eHealth in Kenya
The blog explores some of the key gender issues identified in a study on eHealth in Kenya. Doris Kirigia and Martin Njoroge, Kemri-Wellcome Trust, Kenya 17 March 2016 E-Health or the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for health is increasingly being adopted in Kenya to bridge the gap in access to health services, […]
Fatima’s story: reflections from a qualitative research dissemination on the drivers of child marriage in Gezira state, Sudan
In this blog post, Rachel Tolhurst and Laura Dean reflect on the drivers of child marriage in Gezira state, Sudan, and how we can bring about change. Rachel Tolhurst and Laura Dean 16 March 2016 Fatima[1] wears a yellow headscarf. She has bright eyes and a hopeful face. She is 17, has already been married […]
Are the women of Indian Sundarbans living in dark? A gender analysis of eye heath care seeking among the elderly
In this blog post Debjani Barman discusses how gender cross cuts with other social determinants to influence eye health care seeking in India. Debjani Barman, Institute of Health Management Research, Kolkata, India and Future Health Systems Research Consortium. 09 March 2016 Gender wise, women experience a higher burden of visual impairments given their longer life […]
Voting with your feet: Gender, power and positionality on international women’s day
In this blog post, we discuss different views on how gender dynamics play out in health systems. The RinGs’ Team 08 March 2016 “Voting with your feet” was an ice-breaker for our RinGS meeting in Kilifi, Kenya as a way to get discussions going and make views explicit in our ongoing meeting on gender. […]
Patriarchy Incarnate: The Horrifying Practice of Female Genital Mutilation
In this blog post, Hilary Burrage reflects upon the causes and consequences of FGM and what can be done about it in the lead up to International Women’s Day. Hilary Burrage 04 March 2016 “It’s been 41 years but the sound of the blade still rings in my head… I started my fight against FGM when […]
The Gender Agenda Webinar Summary
CHW Central has published a useful summary of the webinar on CHWs and gender – click to find out more! 19 February 2016 Missed the webinar on community health workers and gender? Fear not! CHW Central have published a very useful summary of the webinar, highlighting some of the key issues related to CHWs and […]
Twitter Chat – Gender and Health Systems: Help Define the Direction of Research
Join a live Twitter chat exploring the role of gender within health systems on February 29th! 14 February 2016 As part of the Health Systems Global (HSG) month of enquiry into gender, in the lead up to International Women’s Day, you are invited to participate in a Twitter chat which will be supported by Research in […]
What is the role of gender and ethics in building stronger health systems?
In the blog post Tessa Hewitt discusses a seminar recently help at DFID about the importance of gender and ethics within health systems. Tessa Hewitt, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine 11 February 2016 While gender and ethics are taken into account as cross-cutting issues in many international development programmes, to date there has been very […]
Webinar: Community Health Workers – The Gender Agenda
On February 10th 2016 Health Systems Global will be hosting a webinar on community health workers and gender. 09 February 2016 Close-to-community (CTC) providers include community health workers, village midwives and community-based drug distributors, who deliver a wide range of services at the community level and are often female. Gender affects, and is affected by, […]
With challenges come opportunities: Sexual and Reproductive Rights in fragile states on Human Rights Day
Sally Theobald in conversation with Alexander Dimiti, Director General Reproductive Health in Ministry of Health, South Sudan, Lucy Bahr, Associate President of Liberia Midwife Association, and Jesse Rattan director of CARE’s global programme of Sexual and Reproductive Health in Emergencies. Sally Theobald 10 December 2015 December 10th is human rights day and the culmination of 16 days […]
Incorporating gender into ethics reflections when conducting health systems research…. Where to begin?
In this blog post, Sassy Molyneux reflects upon the intersection of gender and ethics analysis, and how each can be applied, within health systems research. Sassy Molyneux 02 December 2015 The title of this blog includes many head-scratching elements: What is health systems research? What’s is gender analysis? What are ethics? And then how […]
Giving Birth in Cambodia – What have men got to do with it?
In this blog post Gillian Lê reflects on how men are positively involved during delivery in rural Cambodia. Gillian Lê 16 November 2015 In a recent report on gender-based violence in Cambodia, women were seen as passive in the face of dominant, domineering men. No doubt such men do exist in Cambodia (as everywhere), and […]
How to do gender analysis in health systems research – Significance of data collectors’ gender (part 2)
This blog post is part of a series looking at key questions related to gender analysis within health systems research. In this post we explore the significance of data collectors’ gender in relation to whether the emphasis should be on training as opposed to the gender of data collectors. RinGs Steering Committee 02 November 2015 […]
How to do gender analysis in health systems research – Significance of data collectors’ gender
This blog post is part of a series looking at key questions related to gender analysis within health systems research. In this post we explore the significance of data collectors’ gender during quantitative data collection. RinGs Steering Committee 27 October 2015 On 8 September 2015 Research in Gender and Ethics (RinGs): Building Stronger Health Systems […]
Moving forward an ethical agenda in health systems research: Areas for discussion and routes for the future
Recently I attended a meeting convened by the World Health Organization that aimed to start the process of developing guidance for research ethics committee’s review of health systems research (HSR). This blog incorporates some reflections of the key points discussed during the meeting. Bridget Pratt 26 October 2015 Justice Despite the growth of HSR being […]
How to do gender analysis in health systems research – Significance of gender as a variable
This blog post is part of a series looking at key questions related to gender analysis within health systems research. In this post we explore the significance of gender as a variable. RinGs Steering Committee 20 October 2015 On 8 September 2015 Research in Gender and Ethics (RinGs): Building Stronger Health Systems held a cross-RPC […]
How to do gender analysis in health systems research – Moving beyond sex disaggregation
This blog post is part of a series looking at key questions related to gender analysis within health systems research. In this post we explore how health systems researchers can include more meaningful gender analysis within their research by moving beyond sex disaggregation. RinGs Steering Committee 14 October 2015 On 8 September 2015 Research […]
Ten gender-related points to keep in mind when you are doing health systems research
This post explores 10 gender-related points to consider in health systems research. 12 October 2015 Following RinGs webinar on how to do gender analysis in health systems research, Benjamin Uzochukwu and Kate Hawkins published a blog on Health Systems Global titled Ten gender-related points to keep in mind when you are doing health systems research. For information visit Health […]
Come to our meeting on gender and health systems in post-conflict settings
ReBUILD and RinGs are delighted to invite you to our event, Building Better Back. Kate Hawkins 22 September 2015 At the event we will discuss gender and health systems in post-conflict and post-crisis countries. The meeting will launch our new online resource and be an opportunity to find out more about post-conflict health systems reconstruction […]
“You think you can manage to feed your family, while you are selling your life by taking a loan:” Sex, fish and the complexity of microfinance
In this blog post Eleanor MacPherson discusses the complex relationship between microfinance, fishing communities, and sex. Eleanor MacPherson 11 September 2015 Providing microfinance (MF) loans to some of the poorest women in the world has often provoked strong reactions. For its supporters, MF is a vital tool that can improve the social and economic lives […]
Twitter chat: People-centred research methods for health system development
Our colleagues Sarah Ssali, Lucy Gilson and Edwine Barasa will take part in this chat. We hope that you can join! Kate Hawkins 28 July 2015 The Cape Town statement on People-Centred Health Systems suggests that as researchers we should: “Allow the experience of communities and health workers to be heard, through use of innovative research methods that engage and empower […]
‘If it is not gender responsive, it is not UHC’: reflections on a gender & health financing webinar
In this blog post, Sophie Witter discusses the role of gender in health systems financing and her reflections on the recent webinar exploring this topic. Sophie Witter 06 July 2015 Are health economists from Mars and gender folk from Venus? That was one of the sub-texts of the Gender and Health Financing webinar held on the […]
Introducing Tani Kassimu: Understanding male involvement in the implementation of maternal and child health care interventions
Tani is a recipient of a RinGs’ small research grant. In this blog post he introduces himself and discusses what led him to develop this study. Tani Kassimu 03 June 2015 Tani Kassimu is a recipient of a RinGs small research grant. He works at Ifakara Health Institute in Tanzania, is part of the Resyst and is working on this project […]
Introducing David Musoke: Use of photovoice to explore gender and ethics in health systems by community health workers in rural Uganda
David is a recipient of a RinGs’ small research grant. In this blog post he introduces himself and discusses what led him to develop this study. David Musoke 18 May 2015 David Musoke is a recipient of a RinGs’small research grant and currently works for the Department of Disease Control and Environmental Health at Makerere University School of Public Health, […]
Register now! Webinar on gender and health systems financing, 1 July 2015
“There are many different mechanisms for generating health care revenue, each with implications for access and availability of care. However, as our review of the literature indicates, analyses of health care financing methods surprisingly pays little attention to how these financing reforms impact on the differential health needs of women and men.” Percival et al […]
Dominant constructs of masculinity and gender inequality: what are they and what can be done to challenge them?
In the blog post Rosemary Morgan discusses what dominant constructs of masculinity and gender inequality are and explores some of the things that can be done to challenge them. Rosemary Morgan 05 May 2015 What does it mean to be masculine? This depends on where (and when) you live. Masculinity is a socially constructed term; […]
Introducing Tumaini Mwita Nyamhanga: Examining Gender Mainstreaming in Governance of Health Service Delivery in Tanzania: The Case of Reproductive and Child Health Services in Public Hospitals in Mwanza City
In this blog post Tumaini Mwita Nyamhanga discusses how he became interested in gender studies and what led him to develop this project. Tumaini Mwita Nyamhanga 04 May 2015 Tumaini Mwita Nyamhanga is a recipient of a RinGs small research grant and currently works as a Lecturer in the Department of Development Studies at Muhimbili University of Health and […]
300 Women Leaders in Global Health
This document highlights 300 women leaders in global health 01 May 2015 In November 2014, Ilona Kickbusch, director of the Global Health Programme at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, launched a Twitter campaign aimed at showcasing female leadership in global health.This document includes the first 300 nominations compiled of the many women […]