Gender Essentials
Applying a Gender Lens to Family Planning and AYSRH Programming
The Challenge Initiative (TCI) recognizes gender as an important factor in the success of family planning and adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health (AYSRH) programs. Applying a gender lens to programming can enhance efforts to scale up high-impact family planning and AYSRH interventions. This course is about why and how to integrate a gender lens into programmatic activities.
Taking gender into consideration supports:
- More effective family planning and AYSRH programs
- Improved access and use of health information and services by women and girls
- More efficient interventions based on contextual realities and needs
If not addressed, gender inequities can limit the reach, scale and uptake of interventions. Much has been written about the impact of gender inequities on women’s lack of access to education and control over financial resources. Related constraints on autonomy and decision-making about family size and pregnancy further limit access to information and services.
The following lessons highlight why integrating gender into family planning and AYSRH interventions is essential to success, and provide an overview of TCI’s gender strategy and gender intentional interventions, along with data and measurement considerations, tools and resources.
