Gender perspectives improve reproductive health outcomes

The authors examined gender-related barriers to each component of reproductive health and the strategies undertaken by programs to address the barriers. Out of nearly 200 interventions reviewed, 40 are included here as examples of programs that integrate gender to improve reproductive health outcomes. The interventions selected for inclusion were limited to those that have been evaluated -- meaning they established criteria for assessment that were related to the goals of the intervention and followed an evaluation design -- and that used accommodating or transformative approaches. The results of these programs suggest that the field is evolving toward a deeper understanding of what gender equality entails and a stronger commitment to pursue this equality in reproductive health programs.