Does going against the norm on women's economic participation increase intimate partner violence risk? A cross-sectional, multi-national study.

Background: Women's economic empowerment (WEE) is believed to reduce the risk of intimate partner violence (IPV), yet the relationship between WEE and IPV has proven to be highly variable. Little attention has been given to how the normative WEE environment may influence this relationship across different settings. This study tests whether IPV is associated with Vanguard WEE, defined as individual economic participation that deviates from community norms.

Who are the "vanguard" women? Strategies for identifying women going against economic participation norms across 49 low- and middle-income countries.

Women's empowerment and poverty alleviation are two key factors for successful and equitable international development. Norms surrounding women's economic participation and economic agency change over time, with some individuals achieving economic empowerment earlier than others. These "vanguard" women represent the leading edge of change.

Gendered time use during COVID-19 among adolescents and young adults in Nairobi, Kenya.

Background: Gender disparities in time use contribute to poor outcomes in women. Large-scale disruptions can affect time use. The objectives of this study were to characterize time use across the pandemic by gender and to assess how gender associates with 2021-time use, overall and by 2020 economic dependency status.

Gendered health, economic, social and safety impact of COVID-19 on adolescents and young adults in Nairobi, Kenya.

Background: Infectious disease outbreaks like COVID-19 and their mitigation measures can exacerbate underlying gender disparities, particularly among adolescents and young adults in densely populated urban settings.

Methods: An existing cohort of youth ages 16-26 in Nairobi, Kenya completed a phone-based survey in August-October 2020 (n = 1217), supplemented by virtual focus group discussions and interviews with youth and stakeholders, to examine economic, health, social, and safety experiences during COVID-19, and gender disparities therein.

Results: COVID-19 risk perception was high with a gender differential favoring young women (95.