Welcome to XY online

We are a group of organisations that are committed to bridging work to address both violence against women and girls (VAWG) and men and boys’ wellbeing.

Chapter 1: Where the Journey Begins: Why the Observatory Was Born?

Amidst the backlash against gender equality and progressive social change, we often talk about the need to not just call men out, but also to call them in. But how do we do that? 

For much of its history, men and masculinities studies have been shaped by concepts, theories, and debates developed primarily in the Global North. Although these contributions have been fundamental to the development of the field, they cannot fully account for the diversity of historical trajectories, social formations, and cultural experiences that characterise masculinities across the Global South. As Raewyn Connell reminds us in the Foreword to this volume, "the global South is not marginal. It is where the large majority of the world's people live" (Connell 2026, xvii).

Men in the US want to care, and they are doing more of the care work than ever before. The State of America’s Fathers study and report start from the belief that empowering and supporting men to be caregivers is necessary for all of us – for women and gender-diverse individuals and the equality they deserve, for children, for men themselves, and for our country.

This new report explores how a care-centered approach can strengthen efforts to prevent men’s violence against women and girls. Produced by Equimundo for the MenCare Changemaker Summit 2026, the report examines how empathy, caregiving, relational accountability, and gender equality can help foster healthier masculinities and safer communities.

Drawing on global research and decades of violence prevention work, the report highlights practical strategies for engaging men and boys as caregivers, allies, and active partners in building a more just and non-violent world.

The scene: I was leading a multi-day river rafting trip with 20 young offenders from a juvenile detention centre in Oregon along with seasoned river guides and four prison officers.

By about day eight of the trip, things had changed. It was subtle, not dramatic, but nobody had become a saint. Fred (the little toughie) was still capable of stirring up trouble if he got bored, and some of the boys could still produce a put-down faster than a paddle stroke. But the river had been working on them.

This resource provides a rapid landscape analysis of the organisations, institutions, and initiatives working across Australia to engage men and boys in gender equality. Conducted as a collaboration between Dalberg Advisors and Equimundo, this mapping highlights the depth and diversity of work already underway, spanning violence prevention, education, men’s health, caregiving, and digital culture.