Ensure gender equality and social inclusion

Efforts to address gender inequality and social exclusion lead to long–lasting and sustainable change.⁶²

A GESI approach considers unequal power relations and inequalities experienced by individuals as a result of their social identities, and how these identities intersect to create experiences of vulnerability and marginalisation. It focuses on actions to address these unequal power relations and inequalities, reduce disparities and ensure equal rights, responsibilities, opportunities, and respect for all individuals.⁶³

Gender responsive and transformative approaches

Women's and girls' unique biological needs, disparities in access to food and services and harmful social norms have a bearing on their health and economic outcomes.⁶⁴

Gender–transformative approaches aim to move toward transforming the power dynamics and structures that serve to reinforce gendered inequalities. Transformative change addresses three broad domains of empowerment:⁶⁵

• Agency: individual and collective capacities (knowledge and skills), attitudes, critical reflection, assets, actions and access to services.
• Relations: the expectations and cooperative or negotiation dynamics embedded within relationships between people in the home, market, community and groups and organisations.
• Structures: the informal and formal institutional rules that govern collective, individual and institutional practices, such as environment, social norms, recognition and status.

Why are gender responsive or transformative approaches important for the prevention of undernutrition in humanitarian contexts?

Gender inequality is both a cause and a consequence of malnutrition. Gender norms influence dynamics, roles, time burdens, mobility, resources and decisions about food allocation, health, care practices, livelihoods, education, water, sanitation and hygiene. Gender inequalities limit livelihood, education and growth opportunities for women and girls. Interventions to prevent undernutrition should seek, wherever possible, to develop responsive programmes and policies that engage traditional power holders and influencers as important gender champions to support women’s and girls’ nutrition and address harmful social and gender norms. Women and girls alone cannot be responsible for improving their own nutrition.

Programmes should positively engage men and boys and family members through local platforms to facilitate supportive social norms and behaviour change to improve nutrition outcomes, without compromising women’s and girls’ autonomy.

Interventions in humanitarian settings can promote women’s agency, as well as support new and existing opportunities for women and adolescent girls. Programme design should be informed by the concerns and suggestions of women and adolescent girls and the potential differential impacts that interventions may have on people of different genders.

• Understanding and addressing gender inequalities in nutrition: using a contextual analysis to assess the specific gender norms, roles and power dynamics that influence nutrition–related behaviours and access to resources, as well as understanding intersectionality and the unequal burden on women. Challenging harmful norms and practices around food allocation, child marriage and early pregnancy could be included where appropriate.
• Involving all family and community members including men and boys to shift norms that perpetuate gendered disparities in access to nutrition.
• Empowering women and girls: support programmes that enhance women's control over resources, income and food–related decisions to improve agency and decision– making. Invest in education and skills development programmes related to food and nutrition.
• Economic empowerment: facilitate women's access to financial services, land and markets to improve their ability to secure adequate and nutritious food, as well as their access to health services by addressing barriers such as costs, time and mobility constraints.
• Fostering policy and structural change: advocate for gender–responsive policies that prioritise women's and girls' nutrition and recognise their unique needs while integrating the gender lens across all sectors.
• Monitoring and evaluating impact on gender equality: collect gender–disaggregated data to understand differential impacts on women, men, girls and boys using participatory approaches.

⁶² THET Partnerships for Global Health. Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Toolkit for Health Partnerships. 

⁶³ Ibid.

⁶⁴ FHI Solutions (2023). Closing the Gender Nutrition Gap: An action agenda for women and girls. July 2023

⁶⁵ Hillenbrand E, Karim N, Mohanraj P and Wu D. (2015). Measuring gender– transformative change: A review of literature and promising practices. CARE USA. Working Paper.