“It is because we women do not have a voice to be heard” - perceptions of gender-based discrimination and its relevance to health: a qualitative study with women in Burkina Faso, Ghana and Tanzania

In this episode, we follow women’s voices from Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Tanzania to see how gender based discrimination shows up in daily life and in the clinic. You will hear how power at home shapes choices about school, work, money, and reproductive care, and how small moments, like who gets seen first in a queue, reveal deep norms. We explain how the researchers listened through focus groups and interviews, organized what they heard with a gender analysis lens, and traced three themes that kept repeating across settings. We also talk through practical implications. What would it take for clinics to offer dignified care regardless of marital status, and for families and workplaces to support women’s agency? We keep the focus on what the study supports, while naming its limits, and end with a grounded answer to why voice and autonomy matter for health.