{"id":5997,"date":"2022-01-26T15:53:12","date_gmt":"2022-01-26T15:53:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kmtraining.org\/what-impact-do-gender-and-power-have-on-fp-decision-making\/"},"modified":"2026-04-28T12:52:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T12:52:15","slug":"what-impact-do-gender-and-power-have-on-fp-decision-making","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kmtraining.org\/fr\/what-impact-do-gender-and-power-have-on-fp-decision-making\/","title":{"rendered":"What Impact Do Gender and Power Have on FP Decision-Making?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Analyzing the impact of gender inequities on contraceptive decision-making experiences through the lens of a power framework can provide critical insights. These can give programs a better understanding of how to address barriers to women and girls\u2019 access to and use of contraception.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

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For voluntary family planning programs to be effective, they must consider the ways in which gender norms influence and interact with family planning decisions. Gender norms describe how people of a particular gender are expected to behave in a given social context<\/a>. They influence everything from the quality of family planning care to the ability of women and girls to make decisions about whether and when to use family planning, including which method.<\/p>\n

Definitions of Power<\/h3>\n

What do we mean by power? Power is context-specific; a person or group may experience different levels of power depending on their situations. In addition, power is relational, which means that it changes in response to the people and social factors present. We can describe four types of power:<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

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Power Over<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t
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Power over<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0is most easily recognizable for many and refers to the domination of one person or group over another person or group. Power is viewed as an absolute win-lose relationship\u2014for one to gain power, another loses it.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t

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Power Within<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t
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Power within <\/em><\/strong>is a person\u2019s sense of self-worth, self-confidence, and a realization that they can act on something.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t

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Power To<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t
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Power to\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>is the ability of a person to shape their life and influence the world around them, the ability to take action and affect change.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t

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Power With<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t
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Power with\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>is the social power that allows for collective action. Power is based on social support and collaboration to create change.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t

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Power within<\/em>, power with<\/em>, and power to<\/em><\/strong> are all related to a sense of agency and self-efficacy. Self-efficacy<\/a> refers to one\u2019s belief that they are capable of a task, and agency refers to the belief that one has power to attain a goal through action. That is, if one thinks they can do a task, then their self-efficacy is high; however, even if they believe they can do this task, yet nothing changes because of outside forces that limit change, then they don’t have agency.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

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Photo \u00a9 Dominic Chavez\/World Bank.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

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How Do Power and Gender Intersect?<\/h3>\n

Intersectionality, a term coined by Kimberl\u00e9 W. Crenshaw, is a term often applied to work in the gender field and implies that gender<\/a> does not occur in a vacuum outside of other social identifications and societal structures (such as a person\u2019s race or economic status). It allows for and takes into consideration the existence of multiple and often equally important influences affecting a person\u2019s experience.<\/p>\n

The concept of intersectionality can be applied to gender and power as well. Gender norms are, by their nature, expressions of power dynamics within a society, and all forms of power are shaped by constructive or negative gender norms. Negative gender norms often serve to uphold those who have traditionally held power over others (in patriarchal societies, this group is men), and take away others\u2019 (in patriarchal society, this group is women) sense of self-worth or feeling of agency (power within) and the ability to make decisions about their own lives (power to). Constructive gender norms advance gender equity and negative gender norms seek to uphold gender inequity. For example, a constructive gender norm would support women deciding who and when to marry, just as men are able to do in many contexts. However, a negative gender norm would support women not being able to decide who or when to marry, while this same choice is afforded to men. Therefore, power is inherently gendered and gender norms are inherently \u201cpowered.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why Does the Intersection of Gender and Power Matter to Family Planning Programs?<\/h3>\n

The relationship between gender and power helps to explain how in different contexts, agency develops\u2014or doesn\u2019t. For family planning programs, gender and power influence women\u2019s contraceptive decision-making agency, or the ability to independently and freely make decisions regarding if and when to use contraception and which methods to use. This helps programs understand when and why women use contraception, and the people who influence that decision.<\/p>\n

Power relations transpire during multiple aspects of decision-making. The decision itself (power to) is an example of the power to take action and use a particular contraceptive method, the power to affect change in her life. The control to make this decision is an example of power over\u2014for example, the power a mother-in-law or sister-wife may or may not have over a woman\u2019s decision to use a contraceptive method due to her position in the family.<\/p>\n

Power dynamics are not limited to interactions between men and women: women can often exert power over other women, whether intentionally or inadvertently, thus re-enforcing patriarchial structures that serve to diminish all women\u2019s capacity to make decisions. This is influenced by gender norms such as those that support a mother-in-law\u2019s or sister-wife\u2019s control not only over the decision itself, but also control of mobility, interactions with health care personnel, and\/or household and personal finances. The belief that one can make this decision\u2014for example, a woman\u2019s sense of self-confidence and belief in her ability to use a contraceptive method\u2014is an example of power within.<\/p>\n

In addition, power also relates to the sense of engaging with others to create positive systemic change in contraceptive decision-making (power with). We can see this in the power of a woman to advocate for change to policies and community norms to better support other women and girls and their family planning needs.<\/p>\n

In examining programs<\/a> and projects through a gender and power lens, useful questions would therefore include:<\/p>\n