Consolidating, analysing and synthesizing the empirical literature on gender and forest resources within low- and middle-income countries to unravel the multifaceted factors contributing to gender disparities.

This systematic literature review provides a comprehensive understanding of the gender disparities in forest resource management, highlighting the multifaceted impact of gender norms on women’s access to and use of forest resources in LMICs. The article consolidates 135 empirical studies to unravel the factors contributing to gender disparities, identifying three key dimensions of gender norms affecting ‘gender and forest resources’: gendered space, gendered hardship of labour, and gendered purpose of collecting and using forest resources. These dimensions come with internal contradictions between the perceived norms and the actual lived realities. The article concludes with a call for further research to understand whether these contradictions hinder the reinforcement or mark the beginning of a shift in critical gender norms and the gender division of labour.