The Gender Equity Unit aims to conduct research studies that demonstrate the importance of, barriers to, and strategies for advancing gender equity in global public health through data systems.

Below are descriptions of some of the research studies currently in progress or recently completed, as of June 2023.

Effect of Interviewer Gender on NCD Mobile Phone Surveys in Bangladesh and Uganda

This study, done in collaboration with the Center for Global Digital Health Innovation at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, tested how interviewer gender affects participation rates in mobile phone-delivered surveys about non-communicable diseases. Polling 1,732 survey participants in Bangladesh and Uganda, two randomized, controlled trials tested the impact of the speaker’s gender in the survey voice recording. In Bangladesh, female introductory messages had higher contact, response, and cooperation rates than male introductory messages. In Uganda, there were no differences in survey rates by gender.

Full article in PLOS ONE: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0285155

Country Gender Landscapes

We are exploring the gender landscapes in 25 Data for Health focus countries to better understand the gender norms and activities active within each country, and the level of gender integration in health data at a national level. Using publicly available materials, these gender landscapes will provide a rich, deep understanding of the cultural and political context surrounding gender in each country, as well as information about gender health data and health disparities.

Key Informant Interviews on Gender Equity in Health Data

Our qualitative key informant interview study provides a more detailed view of the current context of gender norms, activities, and gender health data in Data for Health focus countries. Key informants have expertise in gender and health data and may work in government, academia, or the NGO sector. Interview questions delve into the cultural and political context surrounding gender and take a deeper dive into how gender is being integrated into current data collection, analysis, and use. Additionally, key informants are asked about existing needs regarding gender integration into in-country health data work.

#YesAllWomen Social Media Study

#YesAllWomen is a hashtag that has been used on Twitter for six years to raise awareness of the ubiquity of global gender-based violence and femicide. We are conducting a qualitative analysis of publicly available #YesAllWomen tweets. After initial analyses, the most prominent theme portrays the idea that sharing personal stories using the #YesAllWomen hashtag has been both healing and empowering for many Twitter users. Another emerging theme emphasizes the importance of clarifying that not all men are perpetrators of gender-based violence.

India National Family Health Survey: A Secondary Analysis Post-Policymaking 

Our team is conducting a secondary data analysis of the India National Family Health Survey (NFHS) over the past two decades to look at variables relevant to sex-selective abortion and early childhood health indicators by sex that were measured both before and after the implementation of a policy prohibiting sex-selective abortion.