Evaluation of a Training Program on Gender Mainstreaming in Health Research Evaluation at the Senegalese National Research Ethics Committee

Abstract

Health research must be of high ethical and scientific quality and consider the needs and experiences of women, men, and nonbinary individuals. National Research Ethics Committees (RECs) are in a strategic position to impede sex- and gender-blind research. In 2020 and 2021, training programs on gender mainstreaming and sex and gender approaches in research evaluation were launched in Senegal. They were evaluated through a mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods. Knowledge acquisition was 16.67%, 8.54%, and 28.42% for the trainees of 2021, 2020, and those who attended the training in both years, respectively. Gender mainstreaming was reported as pertinent in research ethics by 74% of participants. This training is expected to catalyze gender-transformative research ethics in West Africa.