Breaking harmful gender norms in health practices and systems

We cannot wait any longer to shift gender norms, reduce inequalities and set the course for good health for generations to come. Addressing gender inequality and restrictive gender norms benefits the health and development of all genders and is essential for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, protecting human rights for all. With the global health community working to ensure healthy lives and promoting well-being, attention is being turned to the barriers of achieving this goal–namely discriminatory and harmful gender norms embedded in health practices and health systems. In partnership with The Lancet and Stanford University, we discuss research on how gender equality improves overall wellbeing and what we know about best practices for addressing harmful and restrictive gender norms to improve health outcomes. This event will highlight the recently published, Lancet Series on Gender Equality, Norms and Health and generate recommendations and advice for practitioners, researchers and policy makers working on gender, norms and health. Chair: Caroline Harper – Head of Gender Equality and Social Inclusion, ODI Speakers: Richard Horton – Editor-in-Chief, The Lancet Sarah Hawkes – Director of the Centre for Gender and Global Health and Professor of Global Public Health, University College London (UCL) Olivia Burns – Customer Experience Lead, Prostate Cancer UK Veronica Magar – Team leader for Gender, Equity and Human Rights Mainstreaming, World Health Organization (WHO)