Equal Opportunity, Equal Work: Increasing Women's Participation in the U.S. President's Malaria Initiative Africa Indoor Residual Spraying Project

Donner, Abigail; Belemvire, Allison; Johns, Ben; Mangam, Keith; Fiekowsky, Elana; Gunn, Jayleen K. L.; Hayden, Mary H.; Ernst, Kacey C.

doi:10.9745/ghsp-d-17-00189

Cited by 9 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…While this transition to equality is taking place, it is important that women are empowered by programs to conduct high quality net care and repair. Learning from Donner et al [ 40 ], strategies to involve women in indoor residual spraying (IRS) activities in some African countries significantly increased the number of women employed in the programme. This ensured safety for women in their working place, encouraged women to apply for supervisory roles and guaranteed security of women during pregnancy.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘To be honest, women do everything’: understanding roles of men and women in net care and repair in Southern Tanzania

Dillip

Mboma

Greer³

et al. 2018

Malar J

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BackgroundIn Tanzania, the roles of men and women are classified based on the local cultural context. While men are usually the breadwinners, women are traditionally responsible for most domestic chores. Particularly for malaria prevention, studies in Africa have revealed women as being responsible for daily up-keep of the net. Using social role theory, this study explored the role of men and women in net care and repair and gender-related motivation and barriers to net care and repair in Tanzania.MethodsThe study was conducted in the two villages of Ruangwa district in Lindi Region. The study applied qualitative approaches and carried out in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with men, women, women with children under the age of five, and village key informants.ResultsMosquito nets were valued by all participants as a protection measure against mosquitoes. Study findings indicate that net care and repair falls under a woman’s daily household responsibilities. While men were said to assist in stitching damaged nets, washing dirty bed nets was regarded inappropriate for men and not traditionally accepted. Motivation for net care and repair was reported to come from both men and women; for a woman keeping the net clean defined a caring and responsible woman, while men indirectly promoted net washing when complaining about nets being dirty. Women reported that men could do everything that women do regarding net care and repair, but that it does not fit into societal norms.ConclusionWith increased globalization in Tanzania, more women are becoming part of the workforce, which may limit their full commitment to net care and repair activities, leading to increased net damage, malaria incidences and higher costs for malaria treatment. The National Malaria Control Programme should consider incorporating research-informed gender-transformative messages into their behaviour change communication on mosquito nets and work closely with trusted Community Health Workers to inform communities about the importance of sharing responsibilities in net care and repair. It is acknowledged that changing people’s behaviour and practices is a long process, which will require a deep cultural and political shift.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘To be honest, women do everything’: understanding roles of men and women in net care and repair in Southern Tanzania

Dillip

Mboma

Greer³

et al. 2018

Malar J

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“…Historically, women and health workers in LMICs had limited roles in community leadership and decision-making, and therefore in environmental vector control [ 42 , 101 , 110 ] due to socio-cultural factors e.g. norms, beliefs, perceptions, attitudes, roles, gendered power relations and socio-economic, material and structural factors [ 6 , 19 , 25 , 32 , 39 , 45 , 63 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Intersectoral frameworks to study the relationship between gender equity and Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) in LMICs have so far been applied to women’s and men’s differential disease rates, access to healthcare and treatment, and caring roles [ 11 , 68 , 71 , 81 , 91 , 98 ]. Most MBVD prevention studies (as a sub-set of NTDs) represent women’s roles as unpaid organisers or health education volunteers or managing household water sources or waste as part of their domestic workloads [ 23 , 31 , 46 , 84 , 96 , 115 ] whilst men mainly hold formal paid roles [ 25 , 32 , 39 , 42 , 45 , 73 , 101 , 110 ]. Although women have run small, informal vector control businesses, gaining socio-economic empowerment and inclusion, they encounter economic, procedural, political, and legal obstacles, and lack leadership skills [ 39 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Few studies have explored women’s leadership of urban environmental vector control [ 25 , 32 , 45 ]. By pooling insights from the body of qualitative studies on dengue control, this study will contribute a more in-depth understanding of what is already known, and emergent key themes and insights that may also apply to other MBVDs (cf.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Women’s participation in the prevention and control of dengue using environmental methods in the global south: a qualitative meta-synthesis

Mungall-Baldwin

2022

Int J Equity Health

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Background Dengue, a mosquito-borne viral disease, causes significant mortality and morbidity in low- to middle-income countries. A body of research indicates that women can be effective in implementing vector borne disease control, but they still face inequitable opportunities for participation, leadership and decision-making in the execution of dengue prevention and vector control programmes. Yet implementing informal environmental management practices to prevent mosquito vector breeding forms part of their domestic household responsibilities. Understanding the enablers and barriers to women’s equitable roles with men in formal and informal disease prevention, and the benefits of their participation could help to increase their role and may be a contributing factor to reducing disease rates. The objective of this qualitative meta-synthesis was to synthesise evidence about women’s roles in dengue prevention and control in the global south and generate insights around the barriers, enablers, and benefits. Methods Eight databases were searched from inception to 7th December 2020. One investigator independently reviewed all titles and abstracts for relevant articles. Grey literature was searched using 34 websites of global health and international development organisations. Results A total of 18 articles representing qualitative research or the qualitative component of mixed methods studies from Latin American and Caribbean (n = 8), Asia (n = 9), and one international review were included in the meta-synthesis. Relevant scholarship from Africa was lacking. This meta-synthesis revealed five unique themes surrounding women’s participation, seven categories of barriers, six of enablers, four health, well-being and social benefits for individuals, and four for communities . Conclusion An analysis of the results confirmed that women’s participation in dengue prevention was not gender equitable, gender sensitive nor transformative although women are the primary human resource for household and community-based prevention. Women demonstrated specific qualities aiding successful implementation. Corrective action is urgently needed to shift unhelpful gender norms, and empower women into leadership and decision-making roles.

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“…Pregnant women are at most risk of malaria disease [ 1 ]. In spite of a reduction in malaria-attributable morbidity and mortality among this vulnerable group [ 1 ], current global malaria control efforts are threatened by the spread of multi-drug resistant parasites [ 2 , 3 ], pyrethroid-resistant mosquitoes [ 3 , 4 ], interruption of free healthcare in some endemic settings [ 5 ], and cultural beliefs and gendered norms that deter women from accessing biomedical care against malaria disease [ 6 – 9 ]. Universal access to malaria prevention and care for African pregnant women is yet to be achieved [ 1 , 10 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Community-informed research on malaria in pregnancy in Monrovia, Liberia: a grounded theory study

Tarr-Attia¹,

Bassat

Breeze-Barry³

et al. 2018

Malar J

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BackgroundLiberia is a West African country that needs substantial investment to strengthen its National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP), which was disrupted during the 2014–2016 Ebola epidemic. As elsewhere, Liberian pregnant women are especially vulnerable to malaria. Understanding prevention and treatment-seeking behaviours among the population is crucial to strategize context-specific and women-centred actions, including locally-led malaria research, to improve women’s demand, access and use of NMCP strategies against malaria in pregnancy.MethodsIn 2016, after the Ebola crisis, a qualitative inquiry was conducted in Monrovia to explore populations’ insights on the aetiology, prevention and therapeutics of malaria, as well as the community and health workers’ perceptions on the utility of malaria research for pregnant women. In-depth interviews and focus group discussions were conducted among pregnant women, traditional community representatives and hospital staff (n = 38), using a feminist interpretation of grounded theory.ResultsThe narratives indicate that some Liberians believed in elements other than mosquito bites as causes of malaria; many had a low malaria risk perception and disliked current effective prevention methods, such as insecticide-treated nets; and some would resort to traditional medicine and spiritual care to cure malaria. Access to clinic-based malaria care for pregnant women was reportedly hindered by lack of financial means, by unofficial user fees requested by healthcare workers, and by male partners’ preference for traditional medicine. The participants suggested that malaria research in Liberia could help to design evidence-based education to change current malaria prevention, diagnostic and treatment-seeking attitudes, and to develop more acceptable prevention technologies.ConclusionPoverty, insufficient education on malaria, corruption, and poor trust in healthcare establishment are structural factors that may play a greater role than local traditional beliefs in deterring Liberians from seeking, accessing and using government-endorsed malaria control strategies. To increase access to and uptake of preventive and biomedical care by pregnant women, future malaria research must be informed by people’s expressed needs and constructed meanings and values on health, ill health and healthcare.

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Equal Opportunity, Equal Work: Increasing Women's Participation in the U.S. President's Malaria Initiative Africa Indoor Residual Spraying Project

Abstract: Promotion of gender policies led to increased hiring of women in supervisory roles in a large indoor residual spraying (IRS) program with no meaningful differences in IRS output between men and women spray operators.

Cited by 9 publications

References 21 publications

‘To be honest, women do everything’: understanding roles of men and women in net care and repair in Southern Tanzania

‘To be honest, women do everything’: understanding roles of men and women in net care and repair in Southern Tanzania

Women’s participation in the prevention and control of dengue using environmental methods in the global south: a qualitative meta-synthesis

Community-informed research on malaria in pregnancy in Monrovia, Liberia: a grounded theory study

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