Key Considerations for Accountability and Gender in Health Systems in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
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2018-05-01Author
Waldman, Linda
Theobald, Sally
Morgan, Rosemary
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Abstract
This article poses questions, challenges, and dilemmas for health system researchers striving to better understand how gender shapes accountability mechanisms, by critically examining the relationship
between accountability and gender in health systems. It raises three key considerations, namely that: (1) power and inequities are centre stage: power relations are critical to both gender and accountability,
and accountability mechanisms can transform health systems to be more gender-equitable; (2) intersectionality analyses are necessary: gender is only one dimension of marginalisation and intersects with other social stratifiers to create different experiences of vulnerability; we need to take account of
how these stratifiers collectively shape accountability; and (3) empowerment processes that address gender inequities are a prerequisite for bringing about accountability. We suggest that holistic approaches to understanding health systems inequities and accountability mechanisms are needed to transform gendered power inequities, impact on the gendered dimensions of ill health, and enhance health system functioning.
Citation
Waldman,L. Theobald, S. and Morgan, R. (2018) 'Key Considerations for Accountability and Gender in Health Systems in Low- and Middle-Income Countries' in Nelson, E., Bloom, G and Shankland, A. (Eds) Accountability for Health Equity: Galvanising a Movement for Universal Health Coverage, IDS Bulletin 49.2, Brighton: IDSDOI
10.19088/1968-2018.137Is part of series
IDS Bulletin;49.2Rights holder
Institute of Development StudiesRights details
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Sponsor
Open Society Foundations, Vozes Desiguais/Unequal Voices, Future Health Systems consortium, the Impact Initiative and Health Systems Global
Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original authors and source are credited. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode