WHO's adoption of SAGER guidelines and GATHER: setting standards for better science with sex and gender in mind (19 December 2023)

Summary

A growing awareness of sex and gender bias in evidence has resulted in the development of new tools to address this concern. The Sex and Gender Equity in Research (SAGER) guidelines and the Guidelines for Accurate and Transparent Health Estimates Reporting (GATHER) are two initiatives designed to foster more transparent research and reporting practices that bridge the gender evidence gap. These tools enable researchers to unravel the complexities that underpin health risks and outcomes and generate more accurate and relevant findings that can inform effective and equitable policies for better health outcomes.

This Lancet article looks at the World Health Organization's (WHO's) adoption of GATHER and the SAGER guidelines to tackle sporadic and suboptimal reporting of sex and gender data. The authors argue that this move is pivotal within WHO's broader strategic agenda, which it outlined in the Roadmap to Advance Gender Equality, Human Rights and Health Equity 2023–2030, launched in December 2023.