Measuring women's empowerment in developing countries: A systematic review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shamsun Nahar ◽  
Cecilia W. Mengo
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Women's Empowerment ◽  
Women’S Empowerment

scholarly journals Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture: A Systematic Review of Impact Pathways to Nutrition Outcomes

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Indu K Sharma ◽  
Sabina Di Prima ◽  
Dirk Essink ◽  
Jacqueline E W Broerse
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Women's Empowerment ◽  
Food Prices ◽  
Women’S Empowerment ◽  
Local Institutions ◽  
Impact Pathways ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Nutrition Sensitive ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACT The role of agriculture in reducing undernutrition is widely recognized, yet there is also consensus on the need to make the sector nutrition-sensitive. Evidence on the impact pathways from nutrition-sensitive agriculture (NSA) interventions, agricultural interventions with specific nutrition objectives, and actions detailing each temporal stage to reach nutrition outcomes is limited, however. We thus synthesized study results regarding impact of NSA interventions on nutrition outcomes relating to undernutrition, and constructed an impact pathway by mapping the evidence on each temporal stage from interventions to nutrition outcomes. We used Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses to conduct and report our systematic review of studies on NSA interventions implemented in low- and lower-middle-income countries. Forty-three studies that met the inclusion criteria were extracted and synthesized across impact and pathways analyses. We carried out a thematic analysis of the effect of NSA interventions using evidence-based indicators and constructed the pathways by adopting a published framework on agriculture to nutrition pathways. Our findings reveal that NSA interventions can significantly improve dietary practices, and have the potential to enhance care practices and reduce occurrence of diseases, indicating their effectiveness in simultaneously addressing multiple determinants of undernutrition. However, NSA interventions have a lesser impact on nutritional status. NSA interventions lead to nutrition outcomes through 5 key pathways: food production, nutrition-related knowledge, agricultural income, women's empowerment, and strengthening of local institutions. We emphasize the need to carefully design, implement, and evaluate interventions with consideration for factors affecting impact pathways. Future research should focus on the effect of interventions combining multisector components, and pathways through non-food-production-related income, women's empowerment, strengthening of local institutions, food prices at intervention level, and expenditure on health care.

scholarly journals Water, Sanitation, and Women's Empowerment: A systematic review and qualitative metasynthesis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bethany A Caruso ◽  
Amelia Conrad ◽  
Madeleine Patrick ◽  
Ajile Owens ◽  
Kari Kviten ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Women's Empowerment ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Women’S Empowerment ◽  
Water And Sanitation ◽  
Water And Sanitation Programs ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Primary Focus ◽  
Systemic Constraints

Background Water and sanitation programs historically have focused on women's instrumental value in improving effectiveness and impact of programs, though focus is shifting to consider how programming and conditions may contribute to women's empowerment an gender equality. To date no systematic review has comprehensively assessed and synthesized evidence on water and sanitation and women's and girls' empowerment. The primary aims of this review were to: a) identify empirical water and sanitation research that engaged empowerment and/or empowerment-related domains from a pre-specified conceptual model; b) tabulate and report how empowerment-related terminology was used, where and when research was conducted, what methods were leveraged, and if water and/or sanitation was the primary focus; c) synthesize findings by empowerment domain and water and/or sanitation focus. Methods and Findings The conceptual model of women's and girls' empowerment developed by van Eerdewijk et.al (2017) informed our search strategy and analysis. The model presents three interrelated domains (agency, resources, institutional structures) and 13 sub-domains of empowerment. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CABI Global Health, PsycINFO, CINAHL and AGRICOLA for any peer-reviewed sources presenting research related to water and/or sanitation and either empowerment and/or related terms from the conceptual model (4 May 2020). Systematic and ancestry and decendency searching identified 12,616 publications, of which 257 were included following screening, representing 1,600,348 participants. We assessed all studies using the Mixed-Method Appraisal Tool (MMAT). We followed the 'best-fit framework synthesis' approach for analysis, using the domains and sub-domains of the conceptual model as codes to assess all included sources. During coding, we inductively identified two additional sub-domains relevant to water and sanitation: privacy and freedom of movement. Thematic analysis guided synthesis of coded text by domain and sub-domain. The majority of research took place in Asia (46%; 117) or Africa (40%; 102), engaged adults (69%; 177), and were published since 2010; (82%; 211). A greater proportion of studies focused on water (45%; 115) than sanitation (22%; 57) or both (33%; 85). Over half of articles use the term empowerment yet only 7% (17) provided a clear definition or conceptualization. Agency was the least commonly engaged domain (47%; 122) while the Resources domain was dominant (94%; 241). Measures for assessing empowerment and related domains is limited. This review was limited by only including sources in English and only includes menstruation-focused research in the context of water and sanitation. Conclusions Water and sanitation research specifically engaging women's and girls' empowerment in a well-defined or conceptualized manner is limited. A substantial body of research examining domains and sub-domains of empowerment exists, as does research that illuminates myriad negative impacts of water and sanitation conditions and circumstances women's and girl's well-being. Available research should be used to develop and evaluate programs focused on improving the life outcomes of women and girls, which has only been minimally conducted to date. A more comprehensive 'transformative WASH' that includes gender-transformative approaches to challenge and reduce systemic constraints on women's and girls' resources and agency is not only warranted but long overdue.

scholarly journals Promoting Gender Equality in EU Development Aid: From Transformative Policy to Transformative Practice?

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petra Debusscher
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
European Commission ◽  
Gender Equality ◽  
Women's Empowerment ◽  
Development Aid ◽  
Gender Mainstreaming ◽  
Women’S Empowerment ◽  
Transformative Potential ◽  
Transformative Practice

Promoting gender equality in EU development aidThe European Commission combines specific funds for women's empowerment with gender mainstreaming in its twin-track approach to gender equality in development aid policies. The strategy is successful in terms of budgets and formal appearance but it is implemented in a limited, interest-guided and expertbureaucratic manner. Furthermore by privileging EU interests the strategy fails to address the needs of the poorest developing countries and it ignores civil society concerns. In practice, the twin-track strategy severely limits the transformative potential of gender equality policies.

scholarly journals PROTOCOL: The Effects Of Economic Self‐Help Group Programs On Women's Empowerment: A Systematic Review

2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carinne Brody ◽  
Shari Dworkin ◽  
Megan Dunbar ◽  
Padmini Murthy ◽  
Laura Pascoe
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Women's Empowerment ◽  
Women’S Empowerment ◽  
Self Help ◽  
Self Help Group ◽  
Group Programs
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