Integrating gender into social marketing programmes.

Social marketing could contribute to reducing gender inequities and inequalities. Drawing on commonly used approaches to gender in global health and development, and taking into consideration critiques of the lack of consideration of gender in social marketing programmes, this article addresses gaps in knowledge about gender concepts necessary to understand the lived experiences of people and how these experiences influence behaviour. The article also presents gender integration approaches within a continuum from gender-unequal to gender-transformative, and uses practical examples from social marketing programmes. Pathways to understand how to adopt gender-responsive approaches in the different phases of social marketing programming are proposed. Final reflections beyond programming are also provided to the social marketing community, including the need to embrace reflexivity and be aware of decolonisation movements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]