Power dynamics heavily impact one’s ability to make healthy choices, especially for women’s and girls’ reproductive health and family planning. The IGWG focuses on evidence-based approaches to achieving gender equality across the global health sector. Why all sectors? Because to achieve gender equality, we need every sector—political, legal, financial, agricultural—to actively pursue equality and inclusion.

GBV is a human rights violation; a public health challenge; a barrier to civic, social, political, and economic participation; and it costs society billions of dollars each year. Our work in this area informs the health and education systems’ responses to GBV, explores the social norms that contribute to it, discusses academic and programmatic research about promising approaches to prevent and respond to it, and more. Our Gender-Based Violence Task Force hosts events and provides resources for those working in this area.

Many global health programs still fail to adequately address the reality that men’s (and society’s) beliefs about masculinity and men’s power can negatively impact women’s ability to make healthy choices and see positive health outcomes. The IGWG promotes redefining masculinity and the role of men in more constructive ways—as consumers of health care, supportive partners, and advocates for—and beneficiaries of—gender equality and health in their families and communities. Our Male Engagement Task Force hosts events and provides resources dedicated to this focus area, such as the Engaging Men in Reproductive Health infographic and Engaging Boys and Men in Contraception Use and Family Planning: A Slide Deck.

Half of the world’s population is under age 30, and these youth have a variety of challenges to overcome if they’re to lead healthy and productive lives. The IGWG highlights promising research and evidence-based approaches to addressing the impact of harmful gender norms on young people’s health, education, and livelihoods so that they can enjoy all of their rights without the constraints of gender inequality holding them back.