ENGAGING MEN AND BOYS
Rationale
The research is clear: we need to engage men and boys. They are key to ending gender-based violence and discrimination.
But what does that look like? How do we help men and boys see themselves in this work? How do we reduce resistance and backlash, and tackle the influence of the ‘manosphere’? How do we build the will and skill to reduce violence and increase gender equality?
There is still very little research on the “how” of this work, and the existing research focuses primarily on programmatic approaches. While programs can be helpful, there are some limitations. First, many men and boys are unwilling to attend a program on violence prevention and gender equity. Second, programs focus on individual change but are usually limited in their capacity to change the social contexts in which those individuals exist.
How do we shift the cultural norms and expectations that impact thinking and behaviour? How do we create meaningful and sustained change? How do we move beyond the small pool of male allies to engage men and boys more broadly?
Approach
Shift has been exploring these questions for over a decade. In that time, we’ve:
- Reviewed countless policy and practice frameworks;
- Conducted research and evaluation;
- Worked with community and government partners; and
- Worked directly with men in a male-dominated profession.
Through these efforts, we have found that the following principles work to reduce resistance and increase engagement among men and boys – even those who have no particular interest in gender equity and violence prevention:
- We go to them: Rather than trying to recruit men and boys to come to programs in our spaces, we work in their spaces – in the places where they work, play, worship, and learn.
- We work to understand their priorities, fears, and concerns. Our research has demonstrated the importance of cultivating empathy and seeking to genuinely understand men’s/boy’s perspectives and concerns. You can’t change what you don’t understand.
- We work to shift social norms within a particular network. Research shows that our social environment has a profound influence on our behaviours. For this reason, individual changes achieved through a program can be lost when that person returns to his network of friends or coworkers. By focusing on changes in the network, individual changes are more likely to be sustained.
- We work with key influencers (or social referents) within a network. As humans, we are constantly looking to others in our network to figure out how we should behave. The people we tend to reference the most are those who are liked and respected – so that’s who we work with. We build the capacity of these ‘key influencers’ to signal a different set of expectations through small, everyday actions.
- We aim to achieve a tipping point. We work in a sustained way with about 25% of a setting. This percentage is based on tipping point research that suggests that when 25% of a network consistently adopts a new behaviour, the behaviour will spread to others in the network.
- We start with their priorities, not ours. We build trust and engagement by focusing on their priorities. When we help them solve the problems they want to solve, we gain their trust, enabling us to more effectively 1) engage in conversations that would otherwise have elicited eye-rolls or other dismissal, and 2) challenge existing ideas and behaviours.
- We focus on behaviours more than attitudes. Changing attitudes can be helpful, but that doesn’t always translate to behaviour change – which means that we can’t stop gender-based violence and discrimination through attitudes alone.
- We develop transferable skills. Men and boys are motivated to learn skills that align with their interests and motivations – so we use that as a starting point for engagement. For example, the ability to receive feedback from a coach or manager requires many of the same skills needed to reduce violence (e.g., self-regulation, managing thought distortions, active listening, and perspective-taking). Once we’ve built some trust, we help them connect these same skills to problems of gender-based violence and discrimination.
Our Work
Projects
Learn more about other projects to engage men and boys from Shift.
The Calling In Men Research Project:
Through engaging with male-identified practitioners and subject matter experts from across the country, we developed in-depth research on 9 promising practices for engaging and mobilizing men in gender equality and violence prevention.
Engaging Men Learning Collaborative:
Shift convened a group of 14 government and human service agencies in 2017 to create non-programmatic approaches to engaging men in violence prevention and gender equality in settings where they already work, play, learn, live, and worship.
Shift acknowledges that we are located on Treaty 4, Treaty 6, and Treaty 7 territories and the traditional meeting grounds and home for many Indigenous Peoples, including Cree, Saulteaux, Niisitapi (Blackfoot), Métis, and Nakota Sioux, the Siksika, the Piikani (Peigan), the Kainai (Blood), the Tsuut’ina (Sacree), Ktunaxa, Secwépemc, Dene, Mountain Cree, and the Stoney Nakoda First Nations, including Chiniki, Bearpaw, and Wesley First Nations. It is also home to Métis Nation of Alberta, Region 3 and Region 4. We respect the Treaties that were made, we acknowledge the harms and mistakes of the past and we dedicate ourselves to move forward in partnership with Indigenous communities in a spirit of reconciliation and collaboration.
Initiated by The Brenda Strafford Chair in the Prevention of Domestic Violence
HOME / WHAT’S NEW / CONTACT US / LOGIN / DONATE