Tinker, tailor or transform: Gender equality amidst social-ecological change

•Gender equality is a foundation of sustainable social-ecological systems.•We explore how different social-ecological narratives implicate gender equality.•We develop and apply a novel ‘Tinker-Tailor-Transform’ gender assessment typology.•Proposed actions tend to ‘Tinker’ with stated gender equality goals.•A wider field of view, greater depth of action needed to progress gender equality.