Missing knowledge of gendered power relations among non-governmental organisations doing right to health work: a case study from South Africa

Abstract

BackgroundDespite 20 years of democracy, South Africa still suffers from profound health inequalities. Gender roles and norms are associated with individuals’ vulnerability that lead to ill-health. For instance, gender inequality influences women’s access to health care and women’s agency to make health-related decisions. This paper explores gender-awareness and inclusivity in organisations that advocate for the right to health in South Africa, and analyses how this knowledge impacts their work?MethodsIn total, 10 in-depth interviews were conducted with members of The Learning Network for Health and Human Rights (LN), a network of universities and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) which is explicitly committed to advancing the right to health, but not explicitly gendered in its orientation.ResultsThe results show that there is a discrepancy in knowledge around gender and gendered power relations between LN members. This discrepancy in understanding gendered power relations suggests that gender is ‘rendered invisible’ within the LN, which impacts the way the LN advocates for the right to health.ConclusionsEven organizations that work on health rights of women might be unaware of the possibility of gender invisibility within their organisational structures.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12914-018-0172-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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“…This nding has signi cant implications for the South African context where social structures may render women limited power to acquire health information, make decisions regarding health, and take action to improve their health [38,39]. Paternal participation in childcare has been associated with improved language and cognitive development during childhood, fewer behavioral problems at school, more positive peer relationships during childhood, better development of self-regulatory and pro-social skills; and better positive psychological adjustment [37,40].…”

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“…This is even more important given that most of the individuals who are in positions of power are members of dominant social groups. By preserving their power, males have been able to hold on to the majority of resources and continually reproduce environments that serve them (Fontes Marx et al, 2018).…”

“…Furthermore, hegemonic masculinity has perpetuated, what Connell (2005) coined, the patriarchal dividend, which refers to unequal privileges that have been afforded to men but not women. By maintaining power over others, males have been able to establish inequitable access to power, resources, and status (Fontes Marx et al, 2018). Although, equality is the ultimate goal in gender relations, it takes the cooperation of males to change the historical narrative that they are the ones who hold power within society.…”