Shaping the African research agenda for gender transformative approaches to sexual and reproductive health and rights: A scoping review taking stock to re-align and move forward.
George A, Amde W, et al. • African journal of reproductive health • 2025
A scoping review of 52 articles found that evidence on gender transformative approaches to sexual and reproductive health and rights across Africa 'remains skewed geographically, programmatically, and analytically,' with more rigorous research needed on shifting gender power relations in partnership with social movements.
Key Findings
Methods
The scoping review identified 52 articles published between 2012 and 2022 from PubMed and Scopus databases covering gender transformative approaches to sexual and reproductive health and rights across the African continent.
Sources searched were PubMed and Scopus
Publication period spanned 2012 to 2022
Total of 52 articles were included in the final review
The review described geographic distribution, terms, conceptual frameworks, social theories, program areas, target populations, intervention approaches, study designs, and outcomes
Results
The body of evidence on gender transformative approaches to sexual and reproductive health and rights across Africa is geographically skewed.
The review characterizes the evidence base as 'skewed geographically, programmatically, and analytically'
Geographic distribution of included articles was explicitly described as uneven across the African continent
The skewed nature of evidence was identified as a key gap requiring attention
Results
The evidence base on gender transformative approaches to SRHR in Africa is also skewed programmatically and analytically.
The review documented which program areas were covered, finding uneven representation across SRHR domains
Target populations and intervention approaches were mapped and found to reflect programmatic skewing
Analytical skewing was identified alongside geographic and programmatic gaps
More rigorous research was called for regarding 'the dynamics of shifting gender power relations'
Results
The review documented the range of conceptual frameworks and social theories used in studies of gender transformative approaches to SRHR in Africa.
Both conceptual frameworks and social theories were catalogued across the 52 included articles
The review described terminology used across studies in addition to theoretical underpinnings
Variation in frameworks and theories used across studies was part of the analytical landscape examined
Conclusions
Partnership with social movements and practitioners was identified as essential for ensuring ownership and accountability for gender justice in SRHR in Africa over the long term.
The review called for research 'undertaken in partnership with social movements and practitioners'
Such partnerships were framed as necessary to 'ensure more ownership and accountability for gender justice'
Long-term sustainability of gender justice in SRHR was highlighted as a key concern
The context of 'imminent threats to gender equality' was cited as motivation for this orientation
Discussion
A substantial but incomplete body of evidence on gender and sexual and reproductive health and rights across Africa has been building as of the review period.
The authors acknowledged that 'a substantial body of evidence on gender and sexual and reproductive health and rights across Africa is building'
Despite growth in evidence, significant gaps remain in geographic, programmatic, and analytical coverage
The review period of 2012–2022 represents a decade of accumulating evidence
The review was motivated in part by 'imminent threats to gender equality'
What This Means
This research systematically reviewed published studies from 2012 to 2022 that examined gender transformative approaches — efforts to change the underlying power dynamics and norms between genders — in relation to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) across Africa. By searching two major academic databases, the researchers identified and analyzed 52 relevant articles, mapping where the research was conducted, what language and theories were used, what health areas and populations were studied, and what kinds of interventions and outcomes were examined.
The review found that while a meaningful body of research is accumulating, it is unevenly distributed. Certain countries or regions of Africa are much better represented than others, certain reproductive health topics receive far more attention than others, and the analytical approaches used tend to follow narrow patterns. This means large portions of the African continent and many aspects of gender and reproductive health remain understudied or entirely absent from the published literature.
This research suggests that to meaningfully advance gender justice in sexual and reproductive health across Africa, future work needs to be more geographically inclusive, cover a broader range of health programs and populations, use more rigorous methods for understanding how gender power relations actually shift over time, and be conducted in genuine partnership with grassroots social movements and on-the-ground practitioners. The authors frame this as especially urgent given current global threats to gender equality, arguing that such partnerships are necessary for ensuring communities and advocates have real ownership over and accountability for progress in this field.
George A, Amde W, Bello K, Jacobs T, Ravindran S. (2025). Shaping the African research agenda for gender transformative approaches to sexual and reproductive health and rights: A scoping review taking stock to re-align and move forward.. African journal of reproductive health. https://doi.org/10.29063/ajrh2025/v29i6s.8