scholarly journals A Qualitative Assessment of Gender Roles and Implications for Child Nutrition in Central Malawi

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Mkandawire ◽  
Clement Bisai ◽  
Elizabeth Dyke ◽  
Anne Dressel ◽  
Hazel Kantayeni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gender Roles ◽  
Child Nutrition ◽  
Child Malnutrition ◽  
Qualitative Assessment ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Household Decision ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Food Needs ◽  
And Control

Abstract Child malnutrition persists globally. While progress in reducing stunting has been witnessed over the last six years, this progress is not sufficient to meet Sustainable Development Goal targets on stunting. In Africa, child malnutrition is estimated to result in between 1.6 to 16% losses in gross domestic product. Undernutrition is also attributed as a cause of death for 11% of African children aged five years and below. Men and women play distinct roles in supporting a child's nutrition. Women frequently carry the bulk of the workload related to food, care, and health, all of which are critical factors in child nutrition. Using focus group discussions and individual interviews with communities in rural Central Malawi, we sought to understand the roles played by men and women in achieving child nutrition in this qualitative study. We found that both men and women were involved in productive, reproductive, and community work. However, consistent with the literature, women carried a disproportionate workload in supporting child nutrition compared to men. Women's heavier workloads often prevented them from being able to meet children's food needs. Nevertheless, shifts in gender roles were observed in some of the sampled communities, with men taking up responsibilities that have been typically associated with women. This undoing of gender roles did not necessarily increase women's power within the household. Improving gender equality and child nutrition will require efforts to redistribute gendered work and encourage men to move towards shared power over household decision-making and control over income with women.

scholarly journals Perceptions and experiences of men and women towards acceptability and use of contraceptives in underserved areas of Karachi, Pakistan: A Midline Qualitative Assessment of Sukh Initiative, Karachi Pakistan

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Saleem ◽  
Narjis Rizvi ◽  
Anam Feroz ◽  
Sayyeda Reza ◽  
Saleem Jessani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Contraceptive Use ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Reproductive Age ◽  
Qualitative Assessment ◽  
Focus Group Discussions ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Men And Women

Abstract Background: Family planning (FP) is an essential component of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and contributes directly to SDG targets 3.7 and 5.6. In Pakistan, contraceptive use has remained stagnant over the past 5 years. This change has been very slow when compared to the FP2020 pledge. The Sukh initiative project was conceived and implemented to alleviate these challenges by providing access to quality contraceptive methods in some underserved areas of Karachi, Pakistan. A qualitative study was been conducted to understand the perceptions and experiences of men and women towards acceptability and contraceptive use.Methods: A qualitative study was conducted at ten Sukh stations located in four towns of Karachi. Focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with Married Women of Reproductive Age (MWRA) and married men who received FP services through the Sukh initiative. Study participants were purposively sampled for focus group discussions (FGDs). Interview data was manually transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis.Results: A total of 20 FDGs(Men=10 FGDs; MWRA=10 FGDs) were conducted. Three overarching themes were identified: (I) Appropriateness and means to promote contraceptive use; (II) Equity and Accessibility to contraceptives; and (III) Perspective on available FP services. Generally, both men and women were informed about FP methods but women were more cognizant of FP information. The Door to Door services by community health workers in Sukh initiative areas was largely appreciated both by women and men as it has made the accessibility and availability of the information and services easy. Women suggested that the Sukh initiative should bring some strategies that can help men broaden their perspective towards FP. The study informed that the men feel left out from the FP programs. Therefore, male participants expressed keen interest in initiatives for men in their communities that would cater to their FP needs.Conclusions: This qualitative study provided a unique opportunity to understand the perceptions of men and women towards the phenomena of contraceptive use. The study identified the need for trained and qualified female and male healthcare providers and well-established health facilities alongside door-to-door services.

scholarly journals Perceptions and experiences of men and women towards acceptability and use of contraceptives in underserved areas of Karachi, Pakistan: A Midline Qualitative Assessment of Sukh Initiative, Karachi Pakistan

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Saleem ◽  
Narjis Rizvi ◽  
Anam Feroz ◽  
Sayyeda Reza ◽  
Saleem Jessani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Contraceptive Use ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Reproductive Age ◽  
Qualitative Assessment ◽  
Focus Group Discussions ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Men And Women

Abstract Background: Family planning (FP) is an essential component of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and contributes directly to SDG targets 3.7 and 5.6. In Pakistan, contraceptive use has remained stagnant over the past 5 years. This change has been very slow when compared to the FP2020 pledge. The Sukh initiative project was conceived and implemented to alleviate these challenges by providing access to quality contraceptive methods in some underserved areas of Karachi, Pakistan. A qualitative study was conducted to understand the perceptions and experiences of men and women towards acceptability and contraceptive use.Methods: A qualitative study was conducted at ten Sukh stations located in four towns of Karachi. Focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with Married Women of Reproductive Age (MWRA) and married men who received FP services through the Sukh initiative. Study participants were purposively sampled for focus group discussions (FGDs). Interview data was manually transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis.Results: A total of 20 FDGs (Men=10 FGDs; MWRA=10 FGDs) were conducted. Three overarching themes were identified: (I) Appropriateness and means to promote contraceptive use; (II) Equity and Accessibility to contraceptives; and (III) Perspective on available FP services. Generally, both men and women were informed about FP methods but women were more cognizant of FP information. The Door to Door services by community health workers in Sukh initiative areas was largely appreciated both by women and men as it has made the accessibility and availability of the information and services easy. Women suggested that the Sukh initiative should bring some strategies that can help men broaden their perspective towards FP. The study informed that the men feel left out from the FP programs. Therefore, male participants expressed keen interest in initiatives for men in their communities that would cater to their FP needs.Conclusions: This qualitative study provided a unique opportunity to understand the perceptions of men and women towards the phenomena of contraceptive use. The study identified the need for trained and qualified female and male healthcare providers and well-established health facilities alongside door-to-door services.

scholarly journals Assessing and Advancing Gender Equity in Lake Malawi’s Small-Scale Fisheries Sector

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (23) ◽  
pp. 13001
Author(s):  
Elin Torell ◽  
Chikondi Manyungwa-Pasani ◽  
Danielle Bilecki ◽  
Innocent Gumulira ◽  
Gordon Yiwombe
Keyword(s):  
Gender Equity ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Belief Systems ◽  
Qualitative Assessment ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Small Scale Fisheries ◽  
Fisheries Resources ◽  
And Gender ◽  
And Control

Women play important, but often invisible, roles in Lake Malawi’s small-scale fisheries sector. This paper augments previous research by exploring the productive and reproductive roles that men and women have in fishing communities and how this shapes women’s access and control over fisheries resources. Contributing to advancing the understanding of how to strengthen women’s roles in the fisheries sector, this paper reports on a qualitative assessment conducted in seven Malawian lakeshore districts. Data collected via focus group discussions, which included gendered resource mapping exercises, revealed belief systems and gender norms that shape men’s and women’s access to and control over lacustrine resources. While both men and women have access to lake and land resources, their roles differ. Men dominate fishing resources whereas women dominate resources that are tied to household management. While all value chain nodes are open to men, women tend to be concentrated in lower-value processing and trading activities. Social norms and values shape people’s access and control over communal resources. It is noteworthy that women who earn an income from the fisheries value chain have more access to savings and credit and have more equal household bargaining power.

scholarly journals Do Communities Really “Direct” in Community-Directed Interventions? A Qualitative Assessment of Beneficiaries’ Perceptions at 20 Years of Community Directed Treatment with Ivermectin in Cameroon

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 105
Author(s):  
Fanny Nadia Dissak-Delon ◽  
Guy-Roger Kamga ◽  
Perrine Claire Humblet ◽  
Annie Robert ◽  
Jacob Souopgui ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Participation ◽  
Qualitative Assessment ◽  
Health Staff ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Community Ownership ◽  
Health Finance ◽  
Urban Settlements ◽  
Health Districts

Recent studies in Cameroon after 20 years of implementation of the Community Directed Treatment with ivermectin (CDTI) strategy, revealed mixed results as regards community ownership. This brings into question the feasibility of Community Directed Interventions (CDI) in the country. We carried out qualitative surveys in 3 health districts of Cameroon, consisting of 11 individual interviews and 10 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with specific community members. The main topic discussed during individual interviews and FGDs was about community participation in health. We found an implementation gap in CDTI between the process theory in the 3 health districts. Despite this gap, community eagerness for health information and massive personal and financial adhesion to interventions that were perceived important, were indicators of CDI feasibility. The concept of CDI is culturally feasible in rural and semi-urban settlements, but many challenges hinder its actual implementation. In the view of community participation as a process rather than an intervention, these challenges include real dialogue with communities as partners, dialogue and advocacy with operational level health staff, and macroeconomic and political reforms in health, finance and other associated sectors.

Sex Differences in Cardiovascular Reactivity

2009 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew C. Whited ◽  
Kevin T. Larkin
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Sex Differences ◽  
Gender Roles ◽  
Cardiovascular Reactivity ◽  
Task Type ◽  
Conflict Task ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Conflicting Evidence ◽  
Blood Pressure Responses

Sex differences in cardiovascular reactivity to stress are well documented, with some studies showing women having greater heart rate responses than men, and men having greater blood pressure responses than women, while other studies show conflicting evidence. Few studies have attended to the gender relevance of tasks employed in these studies. This study investigated cardiovascular reactivity to two interpersonal stressors consistent with different gender roles to determine whether response differences exist between men and women. A total of 26 men and 31 women were assigned to either a traditional male-oriented task that involved interpersonal conflict (Conflict Task) or a traditional female-oriented task that involved comforting another person (Comfort Task). Results demonstrated that women exhibited greater heart rate reactions than men independent of the task type, and that men did not display a higher reactivity than women on any measure. These findings indicate that sex of participant was more important than gender relevance of the task in eliciting sex differences in cardiovascular responding.

Will Routine Annual Influenza Prevention and Control Systems Serve the United States Well in a Pandemic?

2009 ◽  
Vol 3 (S2) ◽  
pp. S160-S165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeanne S. Ringel ◽  
Melinda Moore ◽  
John Zambrano ◽  
Nicole Lurie
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Prevention And Control ◽  
The United States ◽  
Qualitative Assessment ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Pandemic Preparedness ◽  
The Public ◽  
Influenza Prevention ◽  
And Control

ABSTRACTObjective: To assess the extent to which the systems in place for prevention and control of routine annual influenza could provide the information and experience needed to manage a pandemic.Methods: The authors conducted a qualitative assessment based on key informant interviews and the review of relevant documents.Results: Although there are a number of systems in place that would likely serve the United States well in a pandemic, much of the information and experience needed to manage a pandemic optimally is not available.Conclusions: Systems in place for routine annual influenza prevention and control are necessary but not sufficient for managing a pandemic, nor are they used to their full potential for pandemic preparedness. Pandemic preparedness can be strengthened by building more explicitly upon routine influenza activities and the public health system’s response to the unique challenges that arise each influenza season (eg, vaccine supply issues, higher than normal rates of influenza-related deaths). (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2009;3(Suppl 2):S160–S165)

Disability and Social Exclusion

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elina I. Tobias ◽  
Sourav Mukhopadhyay
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
Social Exclusion ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Focus Group Discussions ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Community Activities ◽  
Individual Interviews

This article explores the experiences of social exclusion of individuals with visual impairment (IWVI) as they negotiate their daily lives in their homes and societal settings in the Oshana and Oshikoto regions of Namibia. Employing qualitative research approach, this research tried to better understand the lived experiences of IWVI. Nine IWVI with ages ranging from 30 to 90 years were initially engaged in focus group discussions, followed by semi-structured in-depth individual interviews. The findings of this research indicated that IWVI experience exclusion from education, employment and social and community participation as well as relationships. Based on these findings, we suggest more inclusive policies to address social exclusion of IWVI. At the same time, this group of individuals should be empowered to participate in community activities to promote interaction with people without visual impairments.

scholarly journals Fathers and Gender Traditionalism: Perception of Inequality and Life Roles

2006 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Consuelo Paterna ◽  
Carmen Martínez
Keyword(s):  
Gender Roles ◽  
Gender Ideology ◽  
Traditional View ◽  
Couple Relationship ◽  
Satisfaction Level ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Important Thing ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Life Roles ◽  
Gender Traditionalism

Men's discourse about the paternal role is changing significantly. Despite the fact that men still perceive themselves as being responsible for the family's economical protection and the children's discipline, they face increasing demands for more involvement in childcare. From this perspective, this work analyzes the traditional view of gender roles and the perception of inequality in a sample of 95 employed fathers, as well as the various levels of satisfaction with other life roles and their relevance as a function of some gender and sociodemographic variables. The results show that men do not maintain a very traditional gender ideology with regard to role distribution and they still consider the paternal role and feelings as the most important thing in their lives. However, the couple relationship gives them the most satisfaction. Level of traditionalism and age were the two significant predicting variables of perception of inequality of men and women.

scholarly journals Gender Roles and Employment Pathways of Older Women and Men in England

SAGE Open ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 215824401774269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariska van der Horst ◽  
David Lain ◽  
Sarah Vickerstaff ◽  
Charlotte Clark ◽  
Ben Baumberg Geiger
Keyword(s):  
Gender Roles ◽  
Marital Status ◽  
Older Women ◽  
Older Age ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Male Breadwinner ◽  
Time Work ◽  
Part Time ◽  
Part Time Work

In the context of population aging, the U.K. government is encouraging people to work longer and delay retirement, and it is claimed that many people now make “gradual” transitions from full-time to part-time work to retirement. Part-time employment in older age may, however, be largely due to women working part-time before older age, as per a U.K. “modified male breadwinner” model. This article therefore separately examines the extent to which men and women make transitions into part-time work in older age, and whether such transitions are influenced by marital status. Following older men and women over a 10-year period using the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, this article presents sequence, cluster, and multinomial logistic regression analyses. Little evidence is found for people moving into part-time work in older age. Typically, women did not work at all or they worked part-time (with some remaining in part-time work and some retiring/exiting from this activity). Consistent with a “modified male breadwinner” logic, marriage was positively related to the likelihood of women belonging to typically “female employment pathway clusters,” which mostly consist of part-time work or not being employed. Men were mostly working full-time regardless of marital status. Attempts to extend working lives among older women are therefore likely to be complicated by the influence of traditional gender roles on employment.

scholarly journals Schisto and Ladders version 2: a health educational board game to support compliance with school-based mass drug administration with praziquantel – a pilot study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cynthia Uchechukwu Ejike ◽  
Akinola Stephen Oluwole ◽  
Olaitan Olamide Omitola ◽  
Adedotun Ayodeji Bayegun ◽  
Islamiat Yetunde Shoneye ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drug Administration ◽  
Mass Drug Administration ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Board Game ◽  
Control Groups ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
School Based ◽  
Praziquantel Treatment ◽  
And Control

Abstract Background We redesigned the Schisto and Ladders health educational board game and evaluated its potential to encourage compliance to school-based mass drug administration with praziquantel. Methods Two hundred and seventy-five children from six schools who rejected praziquantel treatment were divided into intervention and control groups. Before the intervention, preassessment interviews were conducted on their knowledge about praziquantel treatment and schistosomiasis. The Schisto and Ladders version 2 game as an intervention, and the Snakes and Ladders game as a control, were played for 6 mo. Postassessment interviews, including focus group discussions, were conducted. Results At preassessment, 0/98 (0.0%) children in the intervention group had heard of praziquantel compared with 2/177 (1.1%) in the control group. Similarly, 0/98 (0.0%) children in the intervention group did not know that praziquantel does not kill compared with 4/177 (2.3%) in the control group. The postassessment showed that 53/78 (67.9%) in the intervention group were aware of praziquantel compared with 2/177 (1.1%) in the control group (p=0.000). Similarly, 53 (69.7%) in the intervention group knew about the safety of praziquantel compared with 0/177 (0.0%) in the control group (p=0.000). Sixty-four children (65.3%) from the intervention group sought praziquantel treatment after the trial. Conclusions Schisto and Ladders version 2 is a useful sensitisation tool with which to encourage compliance to praziquantel treatment in schools.

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