What men have to do with it: Public Policies to Promote Gender Equality

Abstract

How can public policies more adequately engage men and boys in achieving gender equality and reducing gender disparities in health and social welfare? How can underlying social norms and institutions be changed to support men in becoming more gender-equitable on a large scale? A growing number of program experiences with men and boys worldwide confirm that programscan influence men’s attitudes and behaviors in gender-equitable ways. For the most part, however, public policies have yet to adequately engage men and boys in overcoming gender inequality or addressing their own gender-related vulnerabilities. e Men and Gender Equality Policy Project is a multi-year, multi-country effort to leverage evidence from existing policies and, through formative qualitative and quantitative research, raise awareness among policymakers and program planners of the need to involve men in gender equality, health and development agendas. e research — currently under way in Brazil, Cambodia, Chile, China, Croatia, India, Mexico, South Africa and Tanzania, with additional countries still joining — provides insights on how to achieve large-scale impact in promoting more cooperative and equitable relations between women and men, reducing gender inequities and calling attention to men’s gender-related vulnerabilities.