Gender Equity and Resilience in Malawi: Insights from Titukulane RFSA Outcome Harvesting

Publication Date: 2024/10/01

Titukulane aims to build resilience and improve food security in rural Malawi through approaches that advance gender equality by addressing key constraints for women and girls. These constraints include the gender division of labor, intra-household decision-making, and access to productive resources. Gender equality is critical to achieving the broader objectives of Titukulane, as it directly affects agricultural productivity, economic empowerment, and the resilience of households and communities. By promoting women's and youth's active participation in leadership roles and community decision making processes, Titukulane seeks to ensure more sustainable and equitable outcomes in resilience building activities.

Building off the earlier Gender Outcome Mapping, the 2024 Outcome Harvest evaluated Titukulane’s impact on five gender equality interventions, which included:
- More women are now asking men for help with household chores, freeing up time for rest and family care.
- Men are becoming active in tasks traditionally viewed as women’s work, including child feeding and housekeeping.
- Women have greater influence over nutritional choices, especially in food purchasing and household meal distribution, though cultural norms still limit their authority over assets like land and livestock.
- More women are stepping into community leadership roles, though these roles are typically less influential than men’s.
- Community attitudes towards GBV are shifting, with more cases reported and discussed openly. Men and youth are increasingly vocal against GBV, fostering greater awareness.