9 Addressing equity in AMR

Given the significance of inequities (including gender inequity) in AMR and One Health, there is a need to address these inequities in AMR research and interventions. The following extract explores some reasons why gender and equity considerations are important in AMR research.

Why are gender and equity considerations important in AMR research?

  • Household and community settings: Gender inequalities reduce women’s power in household financial and healthcare decisions, limiting their treatment choices and fostering practices like antibiotic sharing.
    • Effective community-level AMR interventions must address interlinkages between gender dynamics and other inequalities.
  • Healthcare settings: Women are over-represented in frontline healthcare, facing heightened drug-resistant organism exposure. Limited access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities escalates risks.
    • Recognising these overlapping gendered vulnerabilities informs appropriately targeted AMR interventions.
  • Agriculture settings: Women in agriculture are predominantly smallholder farmers and struggle to afford livestock vaccines. This leads to livestock infections, harming women’s livelihoods and increasing antimicrobial reliance.
    • A gender-focused approach in research helps curb the deepening of existing inequalities.
(Adapted from Lynch et al., 2023)

In Activity 8 you will consider gender and equity data in your own context.

Activity 8: Gender and equity data in your own context

Timing: Allow about 10 minutes
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8.2 Limits to surveillance data

9.1 Incorporating gender considerations into AMR research and interventions