Achieving gender equality requires an understanding of the social, economic, cultural and institutional factors that create and perpetuate inequality. At ARU, researchers work across disciplines to generate evidence that advances gender equity, challenges discrimination and improves outcomes for women and girls.
Through partnerships with communities, policymakers, public services and international organisations, our research addresses issues including gender-based violence, economic inequality, health, education, participation and social justice. By combining rigorous research with real-world collaboration and policy engagement, ARU is helping to create more inclusive societies in which women and girls can thrive.
Women's Health Evidence, Innovation and Evaluation Unit (EVIE)
Women’s health is an important public health priority, but evidence to support improvements is often patchy or absent. Questions on women’s health remain amongst the least adequately researched questions in medicine.
Our newly established Women's Health Evidence, Innovation and Evaluation Unit (EVIE), led by Dr Bassel Wattar, brings together expertise in evidence synthesis, clinical trials, health economics and patient-centred research to address critical gaps in women's healthcare. The unit focuses on conditions that affect women across the life course, including fertility, menstrual health, endometriosis, menopause and chronic gynaecological conditions. Its research is designed to inform clinical practice, healthcare guidelines and policy, helping improve health outcomes for women locally, nationally and internationally. Crucially, the unit works collaboratively, with patient and public involvement at the heart of its activities and with external partners including NHS trusts, women’s health charities and NGOs and clinical guidance groups and professional societies. Within EVIE, researchers are addressing major evidence gaps affecting women through studies of infertility, IVF treatments, reproductive health, chronic pelvic pain and endometriosis.
Gender-Based Violence among Eritrean Refugees in Great Britain
A considerable number of refugees and asylum seekers fleeing conflict and persecution each year are women. A key gap in our understanding of the refugee experience is the absence of
research on violence against women and girls particularly in host countries. This ARU research project, investigates the causes and impacts of violence against women among Eritrean refugee communities in Britain. It examines women's lived experiences of physical, psychological, sexual and economic abuse, and explores how migration, social norms and socioeconomic factors shape vulnerability to violence. The findings contribute to understanding gender inequality among displaced populations and help inform policy and support services.
Enabling safer research engagement for Violence Against Women and Girls organisations
Researchers at ARU worked with the P.H.O.E.B.E. Centre, a Suffolk-based specialist domestic abuse organisation, to develop an ethical research engagement toolkit for organisations supporting survivors of domestic abuse and violence against women and girls (VAWG). The project provides practical tools that help support organisations engage safely and effectively with research, strengthening evidence-informed approaches to supporting survivors and influencing policy.
Research on Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) research
Dr Yemisi L Sloane in our School of Humanities and Social Sciences conducts research on gender-based violence, domestic abuse, sexual violence, female genital mutilation and femicide, particularly within marginalised communities and diaspora populations. Her work combines criminology, sociology and feminist scholarship to better understand the structural causes of violence against women and inform interventions that improve prevention, victim support and gender justice.
Project Bright Light: Improving responses to domestic abuse
Project Bright Light applies lessons from the nationally significant Operation Soteria programme to improve police responses to domestic abuse. Within this project, our researchers are examining learning environments, specialist knowledge and workforce wellbeing among domestic abuse investigators, contributing to improved outcomes for victims and strengthening institutional responses to violence against women.
Last updated: October 2026
To request additions, corrections or changes to the information in these pages, please contact: Dr Zareen Bharucha: [email protected]. Please use the subject line ‘ARU SDG’.