Research methods to challenge gender expectations

Participatory Research Toolkit: Empowering Communities to Measure Social Norms (#2, Research) This toolkit is a very rich resource for practitioners. Developed by #UNFPA and #UNICEF, provides invaluable resources to achieve this. It marks the culmination of SBC research conduct over many years. Why Participatory Methods? Participatory research methods empower participants by engaging them in discussions about complex and sensitive topics. This toolkit brings together nine participatory tools, offering practical guidance and examples to qualitatively measure social norms. Key Tools and Their Uses: Body Mapping: Visual aids help assess knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors concerning the body and mind. This method is particularly useful for understanding experiences related to physical and psychosocial factors. Cannot Do, Will Not Do, Should Not Do: Categorizes behaviors to reveal the reasons behind restrictions. This helps in identifying structural barriers, personal norms, and social norms. Complete-the-Story: Uses vignettes to allow participants to indirectly express their attitudes and intentions. This method is effective for discussing sensitive topics without asking participants to directly disclose their experiences. Free Listing: Participants list terms and concepts related to a given prompt, revealing how they conceptualize specific domains. This method is useful for formative research and understanding attitudes and norms. Gender Boxes and Gender Jumble: These tools measure gender norms and examine how gender impacts attitudes and behaviors. They are essential for research focused on the existence and influence of gender norms. Lifeline: Identifies normative cultural practices and provides a timeline of key life events. This tool is useful for research using a life-course perspective. Social Network Mapping: Visually represents reference groups across different levels of the social ecological model. This tool helps understand communication flow and social support within networks. 2x2 Tables for Social Norms: Measures the components of social norms (injunctive and descriptive norms, behavioral expectations, attitudes, and social rewards and sanctions) to understand norms on a deeper level. Real-World Applications: What is great about this toolkit is that provides examples of the tools have been used: .g. how Body Mapping was used to understand the physical and psychosocial risks of FGM in Ethiopia. This comprehensive guide shows that by leveraging these participatory methods, we can design more effective, culturally relevant programs that foster positive social change. My congratulations to the authors for pulling this incredibly useful set of tools together. Imagine using a tool called “Gender Jumble”. I can’t wait! #SocialNorms #ParticipatoryResearch #CommunityEngagement #BehaviorChange #ProgramDesign #UNFPA #UNICEF #TransformNorms Naveera Amjad Cäcilia Riederer

Participatory Research Toolkit: Empowering Communities to Measure Social Norms 📚 Introducing a powerful resource for practitioners: the Participatory Research Toolkit developed by #UNFPA and #UNICEF. This toolkit is a culmination of years of SBC research and offers invaluable resources. It is a practical ‘how to’ document for researchers, programme planners, programme implementers and evaluation experts, and is intended to enhance their social-norms-related programme efforts. Why Participatory Methods? Participatory research empowers participants by engaging them in discussions about complex and sensitive topics. This toolkit includes nine participatory tools with practical guidance and examples to qualitatively measure social norms. Key Tools and Their Uses: 1. Body Mapping: -Uses visual aids to assess knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. -Great for understanding physical and psychosocial factors. 2. Cannot Do, Will Not Do, Should Not Do: -Categorizes behaviors to reveal reasons behind restrictions. -Identifies structural barriers and personal norms. 3. Complete-the-Story: -Uses vignettes for indirect expression of attitudes and intentions. -Effective for discussing sensitive topics. 4. Free Listing: -Participants list terms and concepts related to a prompt. -Useful for understanding attitudes and norms. 5. Gender Boxes and Gender Jumble: -Measures gender norms and their impact on attitudes and behaviors. -Essential for research on gender norms. 6. Lifeline: - Provides a timeline of key life events and cultural practices. -Useful for life-course perspective research. 7. Social Network Mapping: -Visually represents reference groups across social ecological levels. -Helps understand communication flow and social support. 8. 2x2 Tables for Social Norms: -Measures components of social norms to understand them deeply. -Includes injunctive and descriptive norms, behavioral expectations, attitudes, and social rewards and sanctions. 9. Real-World Applications: This toolkit provides examples of how these tools have been used, like Body Mapping to understand the risks of FGM in Ethiopia. check it here - https://lnkd.in/gNQ7pdha Leveraging these participatory methods, we can design more effective, culturally relevant programs that foster positive social change. #ParticipatoryResearch #SocialNorms #CommunityEngagement #UNFPA #UNICEF #SocialChange #ResearchTools

In epidemiologic studies, measurement biases between genders can distort our understanding of health outcomes. Measurement scales, diagnostic criteria, and even data collection methods often reflect historical biases that favor one gender over another (e.g., may not capture gender-specific symptomology). This skewed approach has deep roots. Instead of the default being inclusion, the default was exclusion when it came to women in clinical trials—a choice driven by societal, cultural, and scientific biases. Concerns about reproductive health, like potential risks to fetuses or hormonal shifts from menstruation, were cited to bar women of childbearing age, even when irrelevant to the study. Male physiology was treated as the "standard," with trials overwhelmingly designed for men under the false assumption that gender differences in drug responses or side effects were trivial. Women’s hormonal variability was framed as a problem to avoid, and the absence of women in medical leadership cemented their exclusion for decades. The fix goes beyond solidarity statements on women's day. We need more inclusive approaches in study design: 1️⃣ Stratify by gender—and age—when sampling in clinical studies: Stratifying by gender during recruitment ensures enough women are included. But in some cases, gender alone isn’t enough—older women are often underrepresented, missing issues like perimenopause or menopause. Stratifying by age (e.g., <50 vs. 50+) and gender creates four groups—older men, younger men, older women, younger women—letting us probe treatment effects or disease patterns across diverse groups. 2️⃣ Test for effect modification by gender: Analyzing whether gender alters an intervention’s impact can reveal critical biological insights. If a treatment helps everyone but benefits one gender more, that’s a key finding, for better or for worse. 3️⃣ Seek female co-authors deliberately: Especially for women’s health topics, diverse teams matter. An all-male group risks missing key variables only flagged late (say, in peer review) because no one saw the female perspective. This can introduce unmeasured confounding. Once the work’s done, don’t judge author contributions by nouns or pronouns (Jack, Jill, him, her)—that’s the wrong lens. Focus on verbs and adverbs (analyzed, wrote, thoroughly, expertly): what was done and how well. 4️⃣ Power Studies for Subgroup Analysis: Design trials with enough statistical power to detect gender-specific differences, avoiding the trap of underpowered, one-size-fits-all conclusions. Gender sensitivity isn’t just about methods—it’s also about language. 🗣️ Words shape perception, and outdated terms entrench exclusion. Small shifts matter: ❌ Chairman → ✅ Chair or Chairperson ❌ Mankind → ✅ Humanity ❌ Man-made → ✅ Synthetic or Artificial ❌ Manpower → ✅ Personnel ❌ Layman → ✅ Layperson ❌ Middleman → ✅ Intermediary It’s time our science mirrors reality—for everyone. 🌍 #Chisquares #GenderBias #InclusiveResearch

Gender Transformative Approaches (GTAs) refer to strategies and interventions that go beyond addressing the symptoms of gender inequality and instead seek to challenge and change the underlying power dynamics, structures, norms, and behaviours that perpetuate gender-based discrimination and inequality. Key Features of Gender Transformative Approaches: 1. Challenge Unequal Gender Norms and Roles: GTAs confront and aim to shift societal expectations and cultural norms that reinforce gender inequalities (e.g., traditional roles that restrict women's decision-making power). 2. Promote Gender Equality and Equity: These approaches actively promote equal rights, responsibilities, and opportunities for all genders, recognising that equity (fairness) may sometimes require unequal inputs to achieve equal outcomes. 3. Empower Marginalised Groups: GTAs prioritise the empowerment of women, girls, and other marginalised gender groups by building their skills, voice, agency, and access to resources. 4. Engage Men and Boys: They involve men and boys as allies in challenging harmful masculinities and promoting equitable relationships. 5. Systemic Change: GTAs aim for long-term transformation at multiple levels—individual, interpersonal, institutional, and societal. 6. Context-Specific: These approaches are informed by context-sensitive gender analyses to ensure they are culturally relevant and locally owned. Examples of Gender Transformative Interventions: Education: Curriculum reform to challenge gender stereotypes and promote critical thinking about gender roles. Health: Programs addressing gender-based violence (GBV) that involve both survivors and perpetrators in understanding power and gender dynamics. Agriculture and Livelihoods: Ensuring women have equal access to land, inputs, and markets, while promoting joint decision-making in households. Policy: Developing and enforcing gender-equitable laws and institutional policies. Gender Equity Policy Institute (GEPI), Gender at Work India, Gender, Work & Organization, HBS Race, Gender & Equity Initiative, CGIAR Gender Equality and Inclusion, ADB Gender, Gender DEI, Gender & Health Hub, Gender Unit | Ministry of Planning Development and Special Initiatives, Gender Justice & Women’s Rights Division - PJ&RI, Gender, Adolescent Transitions & Environment (GATE) Program, Grow. Gender and Work., Gender Equitable and Transformative Social Policy for Africa, Institute for Gender and the Economy, Africa & Middle East Gender Mainstreaming Awards, Gender Initiative For Change and Social Tranformation, Military Gender Trainers, Institute for Faith and Gender Empowerment (IFAGE), Gender and Environment Data Alliance (GEDA), Gender Justice Fund, Gender Mainstreaming Research Association, Gender Mainstreaming Governance & Leadership at OECD