An account of participatory research with women in rural Gujarat

Health policies in the context of development, have typically been formulat ed with little regard for women's actual and specific life experiences and health problems. Although recent international forums have addressed this i ssue, contributing to the rise of gender sensitive health policies, efforts towards increasing women's participation remain necessary. Also, barriers to the implementation of such policies and/or programmes must be overcome. Participatory research methods have the potential to seize local realities and contribute concretely to policy knowledge. Through our research in rura l Gujarat, we discuss the essential elements of effective partnerships and the barriers to women's participation within participatory research project s. Based on these lessons, we offer recommendations for future, participato ry studies.