Unit 2: Creating Gender Transformative Health Promotion Interventions


bicycle-14863_640Creating gender transformative health promotion interventions. Kurt Lewin, a 20th Century social psychologist, is famous for having said that “There is nothing so practical as a good theory” (9) and “If you want truly to understand something, try to change it” (10). In this unit, we examine different approaches to gender transformative health promotion practice, including incorporating key principles of gender transformative practice into a project planning cycle, developing and building upon the work of communities of practice, and focusing on and expanding individual and systemic advocacy efforts.

As Greaves says (7)  “The challenges inherent in accomplishing gender transformation are cultural, economic, political and intellectual. This task requires strategy, imagination, creativity, courage and passion as well as a critical evidence base.”  Health promotion interventions can approach gender transformation from a range of perspectives and adapt tools and practices from other contexts to local needs and perspectives.