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Enhance agency and address discrimination to ensure the full range of family planning services for women and girls from marginalized groups and others at risk of being left behind
Enhance agency and address discrimination to ensure the full range of family planning services for women and girls from marginalized groups and others at risk of being left behind
One of the greatest impediments in making family planning accessible to those that desire and need it are harmful and discriminatory social and gender norms that limit use of contraceptives, especially for unmarried, adolescent girls and young women, and marginalized and vulnerable populations (e.g. persons with disabilities, LGBTIQ+). UNFPA and partners must strengthen governance mechanisms and capacities of governments, multisectoral actors, institutions, communities and systems to address discriminatory gender and sociocultural norms and stereotypes, create demand for family planning, address stigma and discrimination and other barriers to access, and improve client ability to articulate and advocate for their own needs while holding providers to account. UNFPA will work with implementing partners and governments to improve uptake of family planning services and contraception through interventions focused on improving knowledge, attitudes, perceptions and behaviours around family planning to address discriminatory social and gender norms.
PRIORITY ACTION 3.1: Promote advocacy among key stakeholders (rights-holders and duty-bearers) around the human rights-based approach and gender-transformative approaches to family planning
PRIORITY ACTION 3.1: Promote advocacy among key stakeholders (rights-holders and duty-bearers) around the human rights-based approach and gender-transformative approaches to family planning
Programmatic options
3.1.1 HRBA to FP: Apply an intersectional approach to address socioeconomic determinants and systemic inequities that hinder women and girls from exercising their right to live free from all forms of violence and discrimination. Use a human rights-based approach to identify intersecting forms of discrimination and to address the social inequalities and underlying power relations that lead to exclusion.
3.1.2 LNOB: Implement and strengthen human rights mechanisms including Treaty bodies and the Universal Periodic Review related to SRHR, and advocate for and build capacity of community representatives to draw on the recommendations to advocate for adherence to the human rights-based approach to family planning and the “leave no one behind” principles in national policies, strategies and programming.
PRIORITY ACTION 3.2: Expand expertise and strategic approaches for addressing barriers to equity for family planning including social and gender norms
PRIORITY ACTION 3.2: Expand expertise and strategic approaches for addressing barriers to equity for family planning including social and gender norms
Programmatic options
3.2.1 Norms change: Strengthen the capacity and commitment of governments, health service providers, policymakers, the judiciary, institutions, communities and health and social systems to define and implement culturally-acceptable family planning interventions that address discriminatory gender and social norms and stereotypes. For effective and sustained transformation, consider going beyond social and behaviour change communication with a combination of other interventions that have a strong base in the human rights-based approach and gender-transformative approaches, e.g. engaging men and boys as champions.
3.2.2 Participation: Strengthen and build capacity to promote and improve the participation and inclusion of vulnerable populations in the definition of policies, strategies and programmatic frameworks, including youth and women with disabilities or from various ethnic groups, and other factors in leaving no one behind.
3.2.3 Behaviour change: Promote and support behaviour change communication programmes and reproductive rights literacy to support women to make informed and autonomous decisions related to their sexual and reproductive health and rights and reproductive/fertility intentions.
3.2.4 Contraceptive demand: Support demand-side research, particularly in rapid urbanization, low fertility and humanitarian settings, to improve uptake among women who want to avoid or delay pregnancy but are not using a modern method of contraception.
PRIORITY ACTION 3.3: Ensure social participation to foster agency among women and girls and those furthest behind
PRIORITY ACTION 3.3: Ensure social participation to foster agency among women and girls and those furthest behind
Programmatic options
3.3.1 Community groups: Engage with community-led organizations, especially women-led organizations and the feminist movement, for collective action and advocacy around rights-based family planning to address social norms inhibiting access to contraceptive services by women and girls and adolescents.
3.3.2 Masculinities: Promote positive masculinities by engaging men and boys as agents and beneficiaries of change, and as strategic partners and allies in promoting and protecting women and adolescent girls’ sexual and reproductive health and rights, shared responsibilities and shared decision-making around family planning.
3.3.3 SRHR empowerment: Empower marginalized populations including women and girls, indigenous people, ethnic minorities, young people, persons with disabilities and people of diverse sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics (SOGIESC) through human rights-based and gender-transformative approaches to become leaders, have voice and be heard to expand their agency to exercise their reproductive health rights in utilizing family planning services.
3.3.4 Innovative platforms: Develop and support innovative platforms or channels (e.g. radio, television programmes, theater, social media (e.g. influencers, bloggers) for engaging with women and girls and other vulnerable groups and sharing information about sexual and reproductive health, including family planning.
3.3.5 Self-care interventions: Develop and support self-care interventions and practices for sexual and reproductive health including family planning for women and girls and those furthest behind.
3.3.6 Economic empowerment: Support interventions linking economic empowerment with sexual and reproductive choices among women and girls and other marginalized groups.
3.3.7 Shared responsibility: Promote shared responsibility for family planning between partners by increasing comprehensive knowledge of sexual and reproductive health and rights through community-based programmes.
The interventions under "Enhance agency and address discrimination" contribute to the UNFPA strategic plan output “gender and social norms”.
The interventions under "Enhance agency and address discrimination" contribute to the UNFPA strategic plan output “gender and social norms”.
Acceleration Plan Output 3: Access, quality and use of family planning are improved through transformative changes in harmful social and gender norms and discrimination
Acceleration Plan Output 3: Access, quality and use of family planning are improved through transformative changes in harmful social and gender norms and discrimination
The strategic plan refers to strengthening mechanisms and capacity to address discriminatory norms and to advance gender equality and women’s decision-making. The acceleration plan applies this desired result to family planning: “Access, quality and use of family planning are improved through transformative changes in harmful social and gender norms and discrimination.”
RESOURCE: Relevant text from the family planning strategy
Inequalities, discrimination and systemic inequities make it more challenging for rights to be realized for women and girls from marginalized groups and other individuals. They are people at risk of being left behind in relation to family planning services, often including adolescents, the poorest, persons with disabilities, refugees and the internally displaced, indigenous peoples, LGBTQI+ people, and sex workers and other key populations.
UNFPA will apply its expertise on agency and bodily autonomy, both critical for individuals making decisions about when, if or how often they want to become pregnant. Bodily autonomy means that individuals have the power and agency to make choices over their bodies and futures, without violence or coercion. This includes when, whether or with whom to have sex. It includes when, whether or with whom one wants to become pregnant. Bodily autonomy and bodily integrity are violated, for example, when a husband prevents a woman from using contraception (UNFPA, 2021). The most persistent barriers to bodily autonomy involve stereotypes, assumptions and misconceptions about bodily autonomy and the rights of women and girls. Nearly a quarter of all women are not able to say no to sex (where data are available) (UNFPA, 2020).
UNFPA will expand its expertise around addressing discriminatory social and gender norms, with a particular emphasis on promoting the shared responsibility of family planning between partners and, more broadly, promoting positive masculinities by engaging men and boys as agents and beneficiaries of change and as strategic partners and allies in promoting and protecting women and adolescent girls’ sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Family planning facilitates gender equality by expanding women’s ability to access resources and employment. UNFPA will support synergies between and investments in women’s social, economic and reproductive empowerment. UNFPA aims to increase demand for family planning by supporting community-based programming and comprehensive knowledge and awareness that build the agency of women and girls and across marginalized groups.
UNFPA will sharpen its focus on how it supports countries to strengthen policies, legislation and accountability mechanisms that guarantee universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights, including the right to be free from violence and discrimination. This work will engage a wide range of partners and through targeted and multisectoral approaches.
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