Achieving a Double Dividend: The Case for Investing in a Gendered Approach to the Fight Against Malaria

The Case for Investing in a Gendered Approach to the Fight Against Malaria

Gender-based investments in malaria prevention, control and elimination efforts are key to achieving progress toward eradication that has long been elusive. Ending malaria is an unrealized opportunity for advancing gender equality in health. When women and adolescent girls are empowered and gender equality improves, we spur a virtuous cycle: greater access to healthcare leads to lower child-mortality rates and an earlier end to malaria and other diseases. Gender-based investments in malaria also will deliver a powerful double dividend, addressing many of the long-term gender inequities that are perpetually exacerbated by the disease. To achieve this, we need leadership at all levels—from communities to countries, from family tables to global forums, and from men and women alike. It is time to fast-track strategies that leverage the investments already made by women and adolescent girls and focus on the outsized impact they could have if they were put at the center of this fight and win it sooner. The Investment Case tells us why it matters and how we can achieve it.