Reproductive Health

Women, Population and the Environment: Markets, Institutions and the Importance of Women's Economic Roles  argues that, while a reproductive rights approach to population planning can be an important component of environmental protection strategies, more attention must be paid to the relatively neglected role of market and policy failures that affect women as agriculturalists, economic actors and consumers of natural resources.

For over thirty years, ICRW has examined the role of women in increasing agricultural production and sustainably managing natural resources. These historic publications present ICRW’s groundbreaking research and analysis in examining the role of women as economic agents of change in agriculture systems.

See other historical agriculture publications:
Gender in Community Development and Resource Management
Bridging the Gender Gap in Agricultural Extension
Women, Land and Sustainable Development
Women in Agriculture: What Development Can Do

Download Women, Population and the Environment: Markets, Institutions and the Importance of Women's Economic Roles:

This report details the two-year innovation phase of ISOFI (Inner Spaces, Outer Faces Initiative), a project focusing on gender and sexuality as important factors that influence reproductive health outcomes. The report discusses the methods used by the ISOFI project to mainstream gender and sexuality into sexual and reproductive health work, including HIV/AIDS, of CARE in sites in India and Vietnam. It also offers analysis of evaluation data to illuminate the successes and challenges of the project.

Case studies have suggested that the liberalization of trade has had both positive and negative effects on women's health. This brief summarizes the direct and indirect pathways through which trade liberalization affects women's health. By understanding these pathways, advocates for reproductive health and rights will be better equipped to find those points of entry that best protect the positive and reverse the negative aspects of trade liberalization.

Economic growth and trade liberalization can transform the institution of marriage by increasing employment opportunities for women. Marriage, especially early marriage of adolescent girls, may become less economically essential as young women become financially independent. The case studies presented in this paper show, culture mediates the impact of economic change on marriage differently in different contexts, thus prohibiting any generalizations about trade liberalization and marriage. As countries implement liberal trade policies, or otherwise alter these regimes, it is crucial that scholars, activists and policymakers are aware of the potential divergent socioeconomic effects that could result, both those intended and unintended.

Working with partners in Ethiopia, Kenya, Peru, Tanzania, and Thailand, ICRW undertook a series of studies to explore how to increase intake of iron, vitamin A and iodine by combining women's productive and reproductive roles. This report summarizes the findings from the intervention research project implemented in Kenya, where new varieties of sweet potatoes rich in beta carotene were introduced to women farmers.

This brief assesses progress toward Millennium Development Goal 3, promote gender equality and empower women, by analyzing changes in the 12 indicators proposed by the U.N. Millennium Project Task Force on Education and Gender Equality and offers recommendations that can redouble global efforts to fulfill this worthy goal.

Working with partners in Ethiopia, Kenya, Peru, Tanzania, and Thailand, ICRW undertook a series of studies to explore how to increase intake of iron, vitamin A and iodine by combining women's productive and reproductive roles. This report summarizes the findings from the intervention research project implemented by Mahidol University's Institute of Nutrition in Thailand.

ICRW conducted an analysis of programs in developing countries as well as a field-based assessment of selected programs in three countries: India, Kenya, and Colombia that integrate adolescent reproductive health and livelihoods concerns, with a view to offering recommendations for more effective strategies and approaches. This brief aims to assess the challenges and potential effectiveness of integrated programs, highlight innovative approaches, and define gaps that exist in designing interventions.

ICRW undertook an 18-month analysis of programs that link adolescent reproductive health and livelihoods to assess the challenges and effectiveness of such programs, highlight innovative approaches and define gaps that exist in designing interventions. The resulting analysis provides a clear understanding of whether linked interventions have potential for effectively improving the lives of youth.

Inequities of power in gender and sexuality are powerful factors influencing health and development. ICRW and CARE jointly designed and implemented the innovative Inner Spaces, Outer Faces Initiative (ISOFI) to find more effective ways of addressing these inequities in CARE's reproductive health programs, starting with a pilot phase in India and Vietnam.  This toolkit results from the program's first phase and is a compilation of training, reflection and monitoring activities. These activities helped to identify, explore, and challenge the social constructions of gender and sexuality in the lives of project staff, the lives of project beneficiaries, program interventions, and CARE as an institution. The toolkit can be used by staff of development and health organizations to increase the understanding of gender and sexuality issues by both staff and community members, and how these issues relate to reproductive health.