Fig. 1 Framework for Gender Transformative Communication GENDER CONTINUUM INTERSECTIONALITY GLOBAL NORTH-SOUTH GENDER NEGATIVE Invisibility and omission; prefer one sex over the other; privilege men over women; stereotypes; subordination and trivialisation GENDER BLIND Discriminatory language; false generic; gender omission; ignores different needs and challenges; ignores unequal norms, roles and relations; ignores unequal allocations, access and resources; ignores unequal representations or lack of women representations GENDER SENSITIVE Acknowledge different challenges and risks; acknowledge unbalanced access and resources; acknowledge unbalanced norms, roles and relations; acknowledge unequal situations; consider gender norms, roles and relations; gender representative; indicate interest in gender awareness GENDER SPECIFIC Separate gendered section; ascribed gender roles; balanced/ equal coverage; particular needs of women; positionalities; targeting specific actors; voices of women; women's access to resources; women's multiple roles GENDER TRANSFORMATIVE Address the cause/challenges/other structural shortcomings of gender-based inequalities; control over resources; data aggregation by sex; fairness on the portrayal; foster progressive changes; gender in policy and leadership; gender representatives in illustrations; gendered specific needs; promote gender equality; sensitivity to the diverse gender identities; ways to transform; women empowerment narrative ACKNOWLEDGEMENT INTERSECTIONALITY Avoid biases and consider intersectionality based on class, caste, religion, race, ethnicity, citizenship status, localities etc. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT GLOBAL NORTH-SOUTH RELATIONS Avoid biases, consider historical positions of global South-North relations and existing power structures: decolonise narratives and ideologies; neoliberal and capitalist exploitation; self-agency of Global South people, particularly women; acknowledge locality. Gender Transformative Communication 7