Customary Marriages and Gender Equality : Zimbabwean and South African Perspectives

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 41-58
Author(s):  
Leah Gwatimba ◽  
Nanga Raymond Raselekoane ◽  
Anthony O. Nwafor
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Gender Equality ◽  
South African ◽  
Narrative Analysis ◽  
Sexual And Reproductive Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Health Rights ◽  
Negative Health Outcomes

Patriarchy continues to place limitations on women’s rights in many societies. This is manifested by the unequal gender power relations between sexes, which also adversely impact women’s sexual and reproductive health rights. Using the key human rights principles of non-discrimination and gender equality, the study aimed to analyse gender equality within the sexual and reproductive health domain in customary marriages from the Zimbabwean and South African perspectives. The study was qualitative, conducted in Makwarela (South Africa) and Concession (Zimbabwe) with 16 participants using semi-structured interviews to collect data which were analysed using narrative analysis. The study established that there are restrictive gender norms that negatively affect the interaction of women with the health system, thereby producing negative health outcomes. The study recommends that women be empowered educationally, politically and financially so that they can make their own decisions regarding their health and well-being.

scholarly journals Critical Insights into Gender Mainstreaming in Non-Governmental Organizations Based in Vietnam

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Binh Thi Le
Keyword(s):  
Gender Equality ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Gender Issues ◽  
Gender Mainstreaming ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
And Gender

<p>In Vietnam, Confucian doctrine has traditionally influenced gender issues. Although, the determination of Government has brought about considerable improvements in gender equality in society, there remains a need for interventions from a variety of stakeholders including Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). Recently, both International NGOs (INGOs) and Local NGOs (LNGOs) have increased in scope, size, and resources to address development issues in general and gender issues in particular in the specific context of Vietnam. They all play a pivotal role in delivering services and advocacy in an effort to enable Vietnamese people to live in a society of justice and well-being. However, there continues to be a gap between the rhetoric and practice of these organizations for both internal and external reasons. This research analyses the process of integrating gender into an INGO and an LNGO’s policies and development projects drawing on semi-structured interviews with staff in these organizations. The study explores the extent to which these NGOs use gender mainstreaming as a tool to achieve the goal of gender equality in their own organization and project sites. What challenges and opportunities for each organization exist? The findings indicate that in reference to gender mainstreaming, these NGOs, more or less, have encountered a series of common obstacles found in literature from other parts of the world. They also highlight the importance of the approach to gender work taken by NGOs. Each approach must be based on the specific conditions and characteristics of each organization and more importantly adaptable to the context, culture, and traditions of Vietnam. As a part of gender mainstreaming, NGOs are starting to pay attention to the work/home divides of their staff as a critically important element in organizational culture aiming to get the organization in order first before integrating gender into other dimensions of their development work. Both NGOs have the strong determination to have more male staff in office and involve more men in projects to address gender issues. Furthermore, the lack of openness and dialogue on implementing gender mainstreaming in the NGO community makes a part of the findings. These particular aspects of organisational practice were highlights of this thesis.</p>

scholarly journals Addressing Health-Care System Inequities in the Management of Erectile Dysfunction: A Call to Action

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 155798832096507
Author(s):  
Arthur L. Burnett ◽  
Natalie C. Edwards ◽  
Tonya M. Barrett ◽  
Krista D. Nitschelm ◽  
Samir K. Bhattacharyya
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Erectile Dysfunction ◽  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Gender Equity ◽  
Sexual And Reproductive Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Access To Treatment ◽  
Call To Action ◽  
Self Worth ◽  
And Gender

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common, burdensome, and costly urologic condition strongly related to all aspects of general health, from physical to mental. ED has profound consequences as it may interfere physical well-being, quality of life (QoL), self-esteem, relationships, self-worth, and productivity. It is therefore important to ensure that all types of effective ED treatments are consistently accessible to patients. While federal and state mandates ensure access to treatment for women’s breast health, female-factor infertility, and gender affirmation to ensure that these individuals do not experience a diminished QoL, there are no comparable mandates for men’s sexual and reproductive health. The burden of ED necessitates a call to action to improve the accessibility of ED treatments. The call to action steps include: (a) coverage for pharmacological, surgical, and other ED treatments should be viewed in the same way as coverage for other health issues, whether male or female and regardless of the stages of treatment, physical dysfunction, or physical changes; (b) American Urological Association (AUA) guidelines for the management of ED should be followed, including implementation of templates in electronic medical records (EMRs) to support adherence to the guidelines; and (c) coverage criteria should explicitly state that the criteria are intended to support gender equity for sexual and reproductive health care and should not be used to prevent men from receiving medically necessary ED treatments. This call to action offers a pathway to support every man who seeks treatment for ED as a medically necessary intervention by removing systemic health-care barriers.

scholarly journals Critical Insights into Gender Mainstreaming in Non-Governmental Organizations Based in Vietnam

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Binh Thi Le
Keyword(s):  
Gender Equality ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Gender Issues ◽  
Gender Mainstreaming ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
And Gender

<p>In Vietnam, Confucian doctrine has traditionally influenced gender issues. Although, the determination of Government has brought about considerable improvements in gender equality in society, there remains a need for interventions from a variety of stakeholders including Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). Recently, both International NGOs (INGOs) and Local NGOs (LNGOs) have increased in scope, size, and resources to address development issues in general and gender issues in particular in the specific context of Vietnam. They all play a pivotal role in delivering services and advocacy in an effort to enable Vietnamese people to live in a society of justice and well-being. However, there continues to be a gap between the rhetoric and practice of these organizations for both internal and external reasons. This research analyses the process of integrating gender into an INGO and an LNGO’s policies and development projects drawing on semi-structured interviews with staff in these organizations. The study explores the extent to which these NGOs use gender mainstreaming as a tool to achieve the goal of gender equality in their own organization and project sites. What challenges and opportunities for each organization exist? The findings indicate that in reference to gender mainstreaming, these NGOs, more or less, have encountered a series of common obstacles found in literature from other parts of the world. They also highlight the importance of the approach to gender work taken by NGOs. Each approach must be based on the specific conditions and characteristics of each organization and more importantly adaptable to the context, culture, and traditions of Vietnam. As a part of gender mainstreaming, NGOs are starting to pay attention to the work/home divides of their staff as a critically important element in organizational culture aiming to get the organization in order first before integrating gender into other dimensions of their development work. Both NGOs have the strong determination to have more male staff in office and involve more men in projects to address gender issues. Furthermore, the lack of openness and dialogue on implementing gender mainstreaming in the NGO community makes a part of the findings. These particular aspects of organisational practice were highlights of this thesis.</p>

Sexual and Reproductive Health Information and Experiences Among Syrian Refugee Adolescent Girls in Lebanon

2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 983-998
Author(s):  
L’Emira Lama El Ayoubi ◽  
Sawsan Abdulrahim ◽  
Maia Sieverding
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Adolescent Girls ◽  
Sexual And Reproductive Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Focus Group Discussions ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Syrian Refugee ◽  
Entry Points ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Source Of Information

Providing adolescent girls with sexual and reproductive health (SRH) information protects them from risks and improves their well-being. This qualitative study, conducted in Lebanon, examined Syrian refugee adolescent girls’ access to SRH information about and experiences with puberty and menarche, sex, marriage, contraception, and pregnancy. We gathered data through three focus group discussions (FGDs) with unmarried adolescent girls, 11 in-depth interviews with early-married adolescents, and two FGDs with mothers. Our findings highlighted that adolescent participants received inadequate SRH information shortly before or at the time of menarche and sexual initiation, resulting in experiences characterized by anxiety and fear. They also revealed discordance between girls’ views of mothers as a preferred source of information and mothers’ reluctance to communicate with their daughters about SRH. We advance that mothers are important entry points for future interventions in this refugee population and offer recommendations aimed to improve adolescent girls’ SRH and rights.

Sexual and Reproductive Justice for LGBTQI Youth in Policy Responses Across Eastern and Southern Africa

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingrid Lynch ◽  
Finn Reygan
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Sexual And Reproductive Health ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Minority Youth ◽  
Reproductive Justice ◽  
Policy Narratives ◽  
Sexual And Gender Minority ◽  
Eastern And Southern Africa ◽  
And Gender

Both significant progress and profound backlash have occurred in the inclusion of sexual and gender diversity across eastern and southern Africa. This includes the decriminalization of homosexuality in Mozambique in 2015 and the introduction of the Anti-Homosexuality Act (later annulled) in Uganda in the preceding year. Simultaneously there is increased pressure on Ministries of Education to engage more robustly with sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) education in education systems across the region. Emerging regional research points to a narrow, heteronormative focus in comprehensive sexuality education; access barriers to sexual and reproductive health services; and pervasive school-related gender-based violence, including homophobic and transphobic violence. Civil society organizations (CSOs) play a key role in developing best practice in advancing the SRHR of sexual and gender minority youth and are therefore a valuable resource for government SRHR policies and programmatic responses. The regional SRHR education policy landscape is underpinned by two policy narratives: that of young people’s SRHR as a public health concern and a focus on young people’s human rights. These policy narratives not only underpin SRHR policy in the region but also in many instances are drawn on in CSO advocacy when positioning the SRHR of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI) young people as an important policy concern. These two dominant policy narratives, however, have a narrow focus on young people’s risks and vulnerabilities, may inadvertently perpetuate stigma and marginalization of LGBTQI youth, and may limit youth voice and agency. These narratives also do not sufficiently engage local sociocultural and structural conditions that drive negative SRHR outcomes for young people in the region. Research, advocacy, and policy development toward the full realization of the SRHR of sexual and gender minority youth can address some of the limitations of health and rights-based policy narratives by drawing on a sexual and reproductive justice framework. Such a framework expands the policy focus on health risks and individual rights to include engagement with sociocultural and structural constraints on young people’s ability to exercise their rights. A sexual and reproductive justice framework provides a more robust toolkit when working toward full inclusion of sexual and gender diversity in regional school-based SRHR policy and programs.

scholarly journals Ejercicio de derechos a la salud sexual y reproductiva entre mujeres de 20-29 años en Panamá y factores asociados.[Sexual and reproductive health rights exercise among women aged 20-29 in Panama and associated factors.]

2021 ◽  
Vol 40 (03) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fermina Chamorro Mojica ◽  
Faride Rodriguez ◽  
Selvis Stocel ◽  
Ruth De León
Keyword(s):  
Family Planning ◽  
Hiv Prevention ◽  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Associated Factors ◽  
Sexual And Reproductive Health ◽  
Prevención Del Vih ◽  
Conjugal Violence ◽  
Modern Contraceptives ◽  
Professional Care ◽  
Health Rights

<p>Introducción: Los derechos a la salud sexual y reproductiva (DSSR) son básicos, y la capacidad de las mujeres para ejercerlos influye en lograr objetivos de desarrollo. Objetivos: Estimar indicadores de DSSR en mujeres de 20-29 años identificando factores asociados. Métodos: Con datos de la Encuesta Nacional de Salud Sexual y Reproductiva 2014-2015 se analizaron 1206 casadas/unidas (982 con demanda de planificación familiar, 1082 con hijos, y 978 usuarias de anticonceptivos), midiéndose la violencia conyugal en el último año, conocimiento sobre prevención del VIH, demanda satisfecha con anticonceptivos modernos, atención profesional al parto y autonomía. Se utilizó la regresión logística multivariada para probar asociaciones. Resultados: Padeció violencia conyugal 13.0%, tenía conocimiento sobre prevención del VIH 38.8%, satisfacía su demanda de planificación familiar con métodos modernos 62.0%; recibió atención profesional al parto 81.1%; y mostró autonomía 10.3%. Las oportunidades relativas ajustadas (ORa) de violencia conyugal eran mayores en mujeres que la justificaban ORa=1.92;IC95%:1.09-3.39); el conocimiento sobre prevención del VIH aumentaba con la escolaridad (ORa=1.13;IC95%:1.04-1.22); la satisfacción de la demanda con métodos modernos era menor si justificaban la violencia conyugal (ORa=0.42; IC95%:0.20-0.85) y mayor en aquellas con una mayor percepción de empoderamiento (ORa=2.33;IC95%:1.15-5.00). Las ORa de atención profesional en el último parto disminuyen cuando aumentaba la edad (ORa=0.72;IC95%:0.62-0.84), y era menor si experimentaron matrimonio infantil (ORa=0.43;IC95%:0.19-0.95). Las ORa de mayor autonomía resultaron menores en casadas (ORa=0.22;IC95%:0.10-0.47) y amas de casa (ORa=0.53;IC95%:0.28-0.98). Conclusiones: El ejercicio de DSSR y sus factores asociados constituyen desafíos al diseño de políticas públicas.</p><p>Abstract</p><p>Introduction: Sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR) are basic, and women capacity to exert them influence achieving development goals. Objectives: Estimate indicators of SRHR in women aged 20-29 years, identifying associated factors. Methods: A total of 1206 married/cohabitant women (908 with need for family planning, 1082 with children and 978 contraceptive users) were analyzed with data from National Sexual and Reproductive Health Survey 2014-2015. It was obtained the proportion of conjugal violence victims in the last year, with knowledge about VIH prevention, family planning needs satisfied by modern contraceptive methods, with professional care at delivery and with autonomy. Multivariate logistic regression was used to test associations. Results: The 13.0% of women suffered conjugal violence, 38.8% had knowledge about HIV prevention, 62.0% used modern contraceptives for satisfying family planning needs, 81.1% received professional care at delivery, and 30.7% made informed decisions about SRH. Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) for conjugal violence were greater when women justified violence (AOR=1.92;95%CI:1.09-3.39); knowledge about HIV prevention increases with schooling (AOR=1.13;95%CI:1.04-1.22); family planning met with modern contraceptives methods was lower, if they justified violence (AOR=0.42;95%CI 0.20-0.85) and higher in women with a higher empowerment perception (AOR=2.33;95%CI:1.15-5.00). The AOR for professional care at last delivery decrease with increasing age (AOR=0.72;95%CI:0.62-0.84) and was lower if they experienced child marriage (AOR=0.43;95%CI:0.19-0.95). The AOR for autonomy was lower in married women (AOR=0.22;95%CI:0.10-0.47) and housewives (AOR=0.53;95%CI:0.28-0.98). Conclusions: The exert of SRHR and its associated factors challenge public policies design.</p>

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