Gendering Malawi’s National Nutrition Policy using the integrated framework for gender analysis in nutrition policy

Eight of the 17 SDGs include gender and gender equality, highlighting the need for a comprehensive approach to addressing gender disparities. For over two decades, the gender discourse has been dominated by a focus on women, overlooking opportunities to engage men as partners in achieving gender equity. Achieving gender equity requires acknowledging dynamics in the relationships between men and women that lead to the differentiated allocation of resources, programs, and decisions based on gender. Nutrition policies offer opportunities to progress towards long-term equality development goals. Policies provide an overarching framework for comprehensive and aligned strategies and program implementation. The University of Pretoria, in collaboration with the Civil Society Organisation Nutrition Alliance (CSONA) and the Ministry of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare, conducted an assessment of the extent to which Malawi's forthcoming National Nutrition Policy (2016-2020) incorporates gender. The assessment reflected on the policy's application of gender and identified possible areas of gender bias, focusing on the extent to which men and women's interests were considered. Embedded gender biases hinder access to nutritious food for mothers and children. In the past, nutrition policies have focused narrowly on women, perpetuating structural inequalities that limit women's ability to access nutritious food. Men are often the key decision-makers, making critical decisions related to women's sexual and reproductive health, resource allocation, and food consumption. The integrated framework for gender analysis in nutrition policy was developed to support the incorporation of gender in nutrition policy. This framework combines the WHO gender assessment tool and the FAO gender mainstreaming in nutrition guidelines, providing a tool for assessing the extent to which a policy integrates gender. The framework has three main benefits: it helps policy-makers identify policy options for incorporating a gender perspective into nutrition policies, provides guidance on determining biases and ideologies that may be reflected in the policy, and offers an indication of where efforts should be focused to more adequately incorporate gender. The framework was used to assess the extent to which Malawi's National Nutrition Policy and Strategic Plan 2007-2012 incorporated essential gender components. The findings were presented at a policy dialogue in Lilongwe, where participants included 36 people from Civil Society Organisations, government, donors, NGOs, and research institutions. Three community members and one Traditional Authority participated in the discussions, particularly with regard to involving men as partners in achieving positive maternal and child health outcomes as well as gender equality. Malawi's forthcoming National Nutrition Policy integrates a gender perspective more appropriately than its predecessor. The policy focuses significantly on involving men and improving women's control and access to resources for improved nutrition outcomes. However, the policy perpetuates the notion that nutrition and child care are women's responsibility. The policy also overlooks the practical needs of men and women and neglects to consider men's nutrition interests. Recommendations for the Department of Nutrition, HIV and AIDS and the Ministry of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare include broadening the beneficiaries of the policy to include men, the elderly, people undergoing palliative care, and other vulnerable groups. The policy should also include gender in all priority areas, with each priority area assessed using a gender lens and considering gender norms, roles, and relations that undermine men and women's ability to access nutritious food.