Troublesome Masculinities: Masculinity in Trouble

This article explores the notion of troublesome' masculinities that characterise much of the policy discourse and programme thinking on problems of young men and gender. It critiques the dimorphism that shapes this view of young men's gender trouble, and the ‘culturalism’ that constrains the perception of the troubled times in which many young men live. The article argues that young men can be enlisted in the feminist struggle to transform ideologies and institutions of male power, but only by troubling both the notions of masculinity that underpin them as well as the structural inequalities within which they are enmeshed

Tracing shadows: How gendered power relations shape the impacts of maternal death on living children in Sub-Saharan Africa

Driven by the need to better understand the full and intergenerational toll of maternal mortality (MM), a mixed-methods study was conducted in four countries in sub-Saharan Africa to investigate the impacts of maternal death on families and children. The present analysis identifies gender as a fundamental driver not only of maternal, but also child health, through manifestations of gender inequity in house- hold decision making, labor and caregiving, and social norms dictating the status of women. Focus group discussions were conducted with community members, and in depth qualitative interviews with key- informants and stakeholders, in Tanzania, Ethiopia, Malawi, and South Africa between April 2012 and October 2013. Findings highlight that socially constructed gender roles, which define mothers as care- givers and fathers as wage earners, and which limit women's agency regarding childcare decisions, among other things, create considerable gaps when it comes to meeting child nutrition, education, and health care needs following a maternal death. Additionally, our findings show that maternal deaths have differential effects on boy and girl children, and exacerbate specific risks for girl children, including early marriage, early pregnancy, and school drop-out. To combat both MM, and to mitigate impacts on children, investment in health services interventions should be complemented by broader interventions regarding social protection, as well as aimed at shifting social norms and opportunity structures regarding gendered divisions of labor and power at household, community, and society levels.Web of Scienc

Infographic: Tackling the structural drivers of HIV

Infographic: Tackling the structural drivers of HIV Women and girls between the ages of 15 to 24 are the population most vulnerable to HIV. STRIVE and ICRW have collaborated on an infographic to explain structural factors that contribute to this vulnerability: Gender inequality and violence; Poverty and limited livelihood optionsl; Stigma and criminalisation; Alcohol availability and drinking norms. The video identifies a selection of interventions to tackle each of these factors. The infographic was created by ICRW’s GOODMaker Challenge winner, Deirdre Mahon

Counting girls : policy interventions with potential to address daughter discrimination in India and China; consultation meeting report, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, April 1-2, 2009

The consultation highlighted the need to identify policy interventions that work on the ground, and to understand how government and non-government initiatives interact to impact on daughter discrimination. Highlights of the discussions gave insight into the types of policy responses to the problem of daughter discrimination in India and China, and approaches best adopted for analysis of these policy interventions. ‘Types of policy responses’ was key to understanding their role and impact, rather than emphasis on specific or individual policy interventions. Analysis of laws that lead to discrimination against daughters was deemed important for responding effectively to the role played by the legislature