Engaging with Men and Boys on

Gender Transformative Approaches

Abhijit Das

Co- Chair

Why engage with men and boys?

When…..

• Women have to face gender based and sexual violence

• Women and girls have poorer health, educational and other social indicators

• Women and girls suffer from various discriminatory social norms

• Men in the family, community and in institutions make the laws and rules and women have to abide by them

Is it because ……

• Men make the rules and so getting them on board would mean a better deal for women

• Men are the perpetrators and have to be dealt with

• Boys need to be brought up better

• Men too have needs and vulnerabilities which are not addressed

• Patriarchy creates compulsions and social scripts for men and boys and these need to be changed

A historical review of development approaches

• ‘Hard’ (economic/productive) development programmes have usually worked with men – nation building, infrastructure, income-generation, environment etc. ( 1950s – 60s)

• Historically women’s development programmes have focussed on (‘soft’) social issues like literacy, health ( 1970’s Women’s Decade)

• Special focus on Women and Gender issues emerged later – WID-WAD-GAD ( thru 1980’s into 90’s)

• Gender has emerged as an important development construct especially after ICPD (1994) and Beijing Conferences (1995)

• VAW and HIV and AIDS become important development concerns – 1990’s – 2000s include a focus on addressing men

How have men been addressed as a ‘gendered’ category in development

• Men in eugenic programmes – 1930’s to 1970’s – eugenic sterilisation (Europe (Roma/Gypsy) and North America (African American))

• Men in Family Planning – as a part of nation building ( India ) 1950’s – 1960’s

• Men (poor) as irresponsible breeders (India) – 1970’s ( vasectomy camps from Ernakulamto Emergency)

• Men (Gay) as persons who get AIDS (North America) – 1980’s

• Men ( multiple sexual partners, MSM) who spread STIs and HIV infection – 1990’s onwards ( Africa, Asia)

• Men (violent) as perpetrators of violence – batterers interventions (Europe, N America) 1990’s

• Men (heads of the family, gatekeepers ) – Women’s health programmes - 1990’s

• Men as partners in GBV prevention interventions, HIV programming, Social Norm change, SRH programming, Post conflict settings, Responsible Fathers – current approach 2000 onwards

• MenEngage Alliance – informal discussions 2005 onwards, formalised in 2015. 700+ members, 6 regions, 40 country networks. Platform for learning, sharing and advocacy

Evolution of our understanding around Gender in policies and programmes

• Gender Blind

• Gender Neutral

• Gender sensitive

• Gender Aware

• Gender Exploitative

• Gender Accommodative

• Gender transformative

• Practical Gender Needs

• Strategic Gender Interests

Adapted from : Interagency Working Group on Gender funded by USAID

Contemporary History of working with Men• 1991 – White Ribbon Campaign, Canada after Montreal

Massacre• 1993 - Men Against Violence and Abuse, (MAVA), Mumbai

responding to a Newspaper article• Programmes addressing men’s role in SRHR and GBV started

emerging after ICPD (1994) and Beijing (1995) conferences eg. MAP in South Africa (Engender Health – 1996) Promundo in Brazil (1997), Sahayog in India (1998)

• Interest in Masculinities – Tough Guise ( Jackson Katz 1999) Let’s Talk Men South Asia film series ( Rahul Roy 2000)

• Contemporary - Looking at Masculinities and Male Privilege through an Intersectional approach

Work with Men and Boys : Thematic Map

Gender Based Violence

Reproductive Health

HIV /AIDS , STI Transmission and

Treatment

FGM

SexualitySOGI

Male SRH

ViolencePrevention

Masculinities Social Norms

Early Marriage Prevention

Sexual Violence

Batterers Intervention

Declining Sex Ratio

Suicides Juvenile and

Sectarian violence+ + Climate Change

Care Economy Women’s Economic

and Political Empowerment

Our work with Men in India

• Work with youth on gender and development issues – since 1998 among rural communities in UP

• Started MASVAW network 2002 onwards in UP to address VAW – working in close partnership with women’s groups.

• 2004 - Intensive community level intervention with Men on VAW prevention, SRH and Men as Fathers in many districts of UP, Uttarakhand, MP, Maharashtra Jharkhand, W Bengal with community based partners partners

• 2012 - Work with boys in state of Rajasthan –studying change over time

• 2017 EkSaath : A nation wide campaign to develop 25000 male gender champions across the country (at present 10000 in 12 states) in collaboration with FEM and One Billion Rising

Lessons from our work : Changes in Personal life• Though there is self selection a number of men change their attitudes

towards and relations with women in their family – spouse, mother, sister

• Greater respect for spouse, more time spent together, greater empathy, shared aspirations, shared decision making about sex, contraceptive use. More romance

• Participation in household chores, care in pregnancy and delivery - rest, diet, medical care

• Greater participation in child care – feeding children, changing nappies, preparing them for school, playing with children. Enjoying it

• Support to women in the family for their empowerment – education, income opportunities, political participation, share in property etc.

• Changes in gender related consciousness can cause change in many different domains

Indian cultural diversity/ heterodoxy has many alternate traditions of masculinities including those which do not affirm ‘hegemonic masculinity’

Lessons from our Work : Changes at the Community level• Men who change become role models of change for others

• Groups of men provide platform of mutual support and for further community action to set new gender norms in the community

• Changes in gender related consciousness can cause change in many different domains

• Communities can work together to challenge existing gender norms in different aspects women’s education – getting special bus services for girls, property rights, political participation, religious norms – women’s participation in religious ceremonies etc.

• Changes in Community aspirations can affect community level institutional functioning including Health, AWW, Panchayat etc.

Pathways of Change Among Women

Mobilisation over a practical issues

Collective reflection of Social Subordination, Suffering ( Solidarity,

Gender - Power)

Consciousness raising to Empowerment

Collective actions to claim on public spaces and opportunities (Contest)

Influence of and on Services

Changes in Social and Political Status

Among MenMobilisation on a gender issue to create a

sense of outrage

Collective Reflection on Male Privileges Social Subordination Masculinities (Intersectional Analysis of Power)

Consciousness raising about Equality Equity and Social Justice

Individual action of sharing in personal spaces developing Intimacies

Mutual support among for Personal Change and Collective action for Social

Change

Institutional Changes for a new kind of service delivery

Understating Masculinities and Equity Multiple models, dimensions and contexts

Social Axes

• Patriarchy

• Caste System

• Class/ Profession

• Nationalism

• Parochialism : sub-

• Nationalism

• Linguistic differences

• Religious majoritarianism

• Sexual Morality

• Heteronormativity

Influences

• Histories

• Cultural expectations, diversities

• Rites of Passage

• Belief systems –orthodoxy/heterodoxies

• Social and Economic changes

• Legal and Policy changes

• Displacements

• Women’s status / visibility

• Identity related anxieties

• Self concept / personal efficacy

Hegemonic Masculinity reinforces these

relationships into hierarchies. Justifies

violence and coercion for control and

managing differences.

Inter-sectional Understanding of Power

Towards Transformative Change

• Understanding power within an intersectional approach -‘gender power’ as coercive, as bestowing ‘privilege’ to men including men in subordinate positions ( Masculinities)

• Increased analytic capacities - ‘consciousness’ shift based an understanding of ‘equality’ , ‘equity’, ‘justice’, ‘accountability’

• Stronger more intimate relationships in family and friends• Considered actions – Individual (agency) and Collective with

women’s movement and other social justice movements (interdependence, solidarity, accountability)

• Independent interpretation of social phenomenon based on new understanding (morality) and individual and collective actions in social and institutional relations for reconfiguring power hierarchies towards social change in the community in different domains

Way Forward • The initial interest of men is usually from a paternalistic

concern, but this interest needs to taken forward• There needs to be spaces for men to reflect upon their

patriarchal privileges as well as ideas of equality using an intersectional approach

• A ‘Masculinities’ framework allows men to reflect upon the cultural constructions and compulsions of being a man which may not be beneficial

• Work has to start with boys for a new kind of socialisation but it has to (probably) be continued into adulthood.

• Long term relationships need to be fostered among the men who change

• Work with men on gender equality has to be complementary to women’s empowerment but may not be the mirror opposite of ‘women’s experience/ reality, and is probably culturally contextual

Thank You