Working with Boys and Men

Jeff Hearn considers the implications for men of developing gender equality and the challenges that this presents.

Practical strategies for engaging men in gender programming and policy.

Men's rights groups represent a hostile backlash to feminism, but their efforts in fact are unhelpful and even harmful for men themselves. Michael Flood describes how we can respond.

Chris Crass outlines practical strategies for minimising everyday domination.

1. Practice noticing who’s in the room at meetings - how many gender privileged men (biological men), how many women, how many transgendered people, how many white people, how many people of color, is it majority heterosexual, are there out queers, what are people’s class backgrounds. Don’t assume to know people, but also work at being more aware – listening to what people say and talking with people one on one who you work with.

Michael Kaufman discusses the need to both address and involve men in ending violence against women (VAW), a few of the pitfalls and guiding principles, and shares his thoughts on what is the most developed example of this work, that is, the White Ribbon Campaign.
Please see below for the attachment, in PDF.

In various settings, small numbers of men and boys are changing their attitudes and behaviour towards women - supporting opportunities for women to earn an income outside the home, or speaking out against gender-based violence, for example. What makes this kind of resistance to rigid views of gender possible? How can development policies and programmes stimulate or build on these positive attitudes and behaviours to achieve gender equality for all? This report - consisting of an overview, annotated bibliography, and contacts section - describes a broad range of innovative work being carried out in different parts of the world to engage men in the promotion of gender equality. It looks at the reasons for involving men and boys in gender and development work, and considers why it might be in men's own interests to change. It goes on to consider possible strategies for, and examples of, positive changes in men's attitudes and behaviour, focusing on:

:-involving men as partners against gender-based violence;
:-strengthening men's resistance to violence and conflict;
:-fostering constructive male involvement in sexual and reproductive health and rights;
:-encouraging men's positive engagement as fathers and carers; and
:-promoting more gender-equitable institutional cultures and practices within development organisations.