Interactions: real-time research on the empowerment of women and girls
Interactions is an IDS-hosted interactive online resource on Empowering Women and Girls, featuring real-time research and analysis. The website features up-to-the minute research findings and policy analysis on gender-based violence, urban health and unpaid care work from IDS and partners. Study countries include Bangladesh, Kenya, South Africa, Egypt, Uganda, Nigeria and Nepal.
Interactions is a pilot product which explores how Eldis content, web production and editorial skills can be used to enhance the reach, relevance and, ultimately, impact of an ongoing collaborative research process by promoting engagement with stakeholders from the outset.
It has been developed in connection with the IDS-led research programme “Influencing Policies to Support the Empowerment of Women and Girls”. The project runs for a four-year period from 2012-2016 and is funded by UK AID.
The main aim of the research is to examine how to build an enabling environment for the empowerment of women and girls. Specifically, the research is split into three main areas:
• Gender-based violence – examining how collective action, involving women and men in social movements and coalitions is able to effectively address gender-based violence. In particular it examines the involvement of men and boys in working on issues to do with gender-based violence.
• Urbanisation and health – understanding the effects of urbanisation and urban environments on the health of women and girls in low-income settings. Examining issues of non-communicable diseases, mental health, sanitation, sex work, infrastructure and HIV.
• Unpaid care – analysing the conditions under which policy actors recognise or ignore the significance of unpaid care work.