Sexual, Reproductive, Maternal and Child Health (SRMCH) and Rights are important components of the health and wellbeing of women, families, and communities. Access to adequate, affordable, and respectful SRMCH services is often limited especially for people living in vulnerable situations. Despite global improvements to SRMCH and rights, women and children still suffer from largely preventable health issues that have lifelong consequences, such as infection and malnutrition.

The health of women during the reproductive years has an impact on the lifelong health of women, infants and children. HealthBridge works to address the root causes of SRMCH and rights issues, many of which are linked to gender inequality. We recognize how gender inequality shapes and divides child care, labour, decision-making and power dynamics in relationships between men and women in families and in society. Despite strides towards gender equality that have been made in the past decades, women still have poorer access to formal education and economic opportunities, and they lack decision making power, compared to men. Ultimately, gender inequality denies women opportunities to improve their own health and their families’ health.

While SRMCH is often viewed as a women’s issue, HealthBridge recognizes the important role that men can play in improving the health of their families. Men often receive little information and education about SRMCH, yet they can have a positive influence on SRMCH when they are engaged in the SRMCH of their partners and their families. Knowledge can lead to engagement and men can play an important role in ensuring women’s access to health services, decision-making power, and economic opportunities, in addition to reducing gender-based violence.