Can a malaria service delivery project improve gender equality?

The President’s Malaria Initiative’s (PMI) Africa Indoor Residual Spraying (AIRS) Project is a large multi-country service delivery project that delivers IRS to 11 African countries. Since 2008, the PMI AIRS Project has hired tens of thousands of seasonal workers. In 2014, the project began focusing on gender inclusion and equality, both with the project staff and government implementing partners, in its efforts to attract and retain more female seasonal workers, such as ensuring job requirements do not exclude women and that women feel safe changing and showering at the operational sites. The Project is also measuring whether a malaria service delivery project can change gender norms and attitudes to promote women’s empowerment.

In four countries, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mali, and Rwanda, the PMI AIRS Project is giving the CARE WE-MEASR “Women’s Participation in Household Decision Making” survey to a random selection of both male and female seasonal workers.  Seasonal workers will take this 10 question survey before the start of the seasonal spray campaign, and then again at the end of the spray campaign, allowing the project to measure the effect both before and after working at an explicitly gender inclusive job.  The survey will be conducted throughout the three years of the project to see how gender norms change over time.  As this survey will be implemented in July, results will be available in August.