Gender equity has been central to PATH’s mission since our earliest work in contraception and delivery. With our new Gender Strategy 2025, we expand and integrate gender equity throughout the organization and our programs. Dr. Kimberly Green, PATH’s Global Director of Primary Health Care, and Lovena Owuor, PATH Kenya’s Regional Technical Advisor for Gender Equity, shared their thoughts.
Q. How does PATH define gender equity?
Dr. Kimberly Green:
Gender equity in health exists when individuals of all sexes, gender identities, and gender expressions receive fair treatment and access to the health services and products that reflect their unique needs and expectations.
Persistent gender inequities often lead to health inequities. Inequitable gender dynamics can influence who seeks care, who can access care, and the quality of care they receive. Gender-related beliefs, laws that criminalize LGBTQIA+ communities, and access to resources influence who can occupy a leadership role and how health care innovations such as medical products, clinical guidelines, and testing protocols are developed.
Recognizing the critical link between gender and health, PATH launched its new Gender Strategy 2025, which seeks to ensure all of our programs take these potential challenges into account.
Q. How will this strategy change the way PATH works?
Dr. Kimberly Green:
People-centered care has always been at the core of PATH’s work to improve health equity, and this principle is reflected in our gender strategy. The Gender Strategy 2025 outlines our commitment to advancing gender equality, both within our organization and through our global health programs. The strategy is anchored by three strategic pillars: integration, influence, and impact.
Integration means that we weave gender perspectives into all components of our work. This means expanding leadership opportunities for women and people of diverse genders at PATH, addressing gender equity in our organizational strategies, and strengthening gender integration in our programs and partnerships. It also involves designing integrated service delivery models that offer comprehensive, coordinated care responsive to individual needs and community contexts. To support this, PATH’s leadership has invested in tools, structures, and processes that help staff incorporate gender considerations throughout a project’s life cycle, aligning with PATH’s 2025 strategy.
Influence focuses on advocating for gender equity in policies and practices. We recognize that gender inequities often stem from systemic barriers and norms. By leveraging our partnerships and platforms, we aim to shape the dialogue and decisions that impact health outcomes for people of all genders.
Impact ensures our efforts produce tangible, positive changes in the communities we serve. PATH’s programs build equity locally and globally, responding to the unique ways gender shapes health risks and access to care. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we recognized that women and transgender communities were disproportionately affected. In Uganda, we collaborated with the Ministry of Health to develop a gender-intentional Advocacy and Demand Generation Handbook that guided equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. Similarly, in Vietnam, we implemented telemedicine platforms addressing both COVID-19 and mental health needs, recognizing the interconnected nature of these challenges and the importance of integrated, person-centered care.
We can’t have resilient health systems without a supported and empowered workforce. Across all our work, we emphasize the importance of supporting frontline health workers—who are predominantly women—providing clinical care. Equitable investments in professional advancement, economic security, and social support are essential to ensure all health workers are valued, safe, and fairly treated, regardless of their gender identity.
Q. How does gender equity create better health outcomes for the communities where PATH works?
Lovena Owuor:
Since its earliest days in contraception and reproductive health, PATH has prioritized gender-intentional programming. The Gender Strategy 2025 will ensure all of PATH’s programs work together toward common goals and measure progress in the same way.
PATH has implemented gender-responsive HIV programming for decades. We create community support groups for girls and women and school programs that teach reproductive health, financial management, and violence prevention. In Kenya, South Africa, and Uganda, we applied input from women and health care workers to design a microarray for HIV prevention and contraceptive drugs. These efforts empower women and girls with the knowledge and resources to protect their health, make informed decisions, and advocate for their rights, with the aim of improving sexual and reproductive health outcomes.
In Vietnam, we built online communities for health with services and information designed for and by transgender women. Our research revealed limited knowledge of drug and hormone interactions among providers, [as well as] barriers to accessing appropriate care. We worked with the government to develop transgender HIV and health care guidelines, aiming to improve the capacity of health care providers to deliver gender-affirming and culturally competent care.
Health services have to find ways to reach all individuals. Women’s and transgender health deserve investment and attention, but there are unique barriers facing men, too, such as gender norms and community perceptions. By prioritizing gender equity and addressing the specific needs of women, men, and transgender individuals, PATH creates better health outcomes by empowering communities, improving access to tailored health solutions, and promoting inclusive health care practices.
Q. Who are important partners to implementing gender equity in health?
Lovena Owuor:
We learn first and foremost from our community and country partners—[civil society organizations] like those delivering gender-affirming HIV care in Vietnam, transgender health in India, HIV prevention in Kenya, and many others. Health workers are advisors in voicing their challenges and finding solutions.
National governments are important partners for advocacy, so that gender equity is addressed in policies. International organizations can expand the reach of equity efforts. For example, in Myanmar, we collaborated with UNICEF and the national government to confront gender-based violence against women and girls.
We also raise gender equity with our donors to demonstrate how their investments create change.
Q. How does PATH measure success?
Lovena Owuor:
In addition to building more gender intentionality into our projects, we made specific commitments: Women, transgender, and nonbinary people will hold more senior management positions; more proposals will include gender integration; and applicable project teams will have a gender-diverse technical team member.
More new business partners will be feminist-focused, LGBTQIA+, and/or women-led. We will also double the number of projects that report and apply gender-based data.
Scientific evidence of gender barriers has also expanded in the past decade, and PATH continues to contribute research findings that inform ongoing gender-related solutions.