Partnership & Accountability blog series

Partnership & Accountability blog series

Accountability to the women´s and to social justice movements is crucial for building collaborative and equitable partnerships. Accountability requires the development of a receptive capacity in men and others who have been placed in positions of power and privilege, so that they can listen to the perspectives and needs of oppressed groups in order to become authentic allies. Accountability and partnership building also require us to engage in respectful dialogues, and a willingness to constantly address issues and concerns raised by our partners.

We hope that this blog series contributes to these ongoing conversations and serves as another platform to share useful information.

Blog posts are written by member and partners of MenEngage, for whom we provide a platform for dialogue. The opinions expressed in the posts do not necessarily represent those of the MenEngage Alliance.

To learn more about MenEngage & Accountability go to www.menengage.org/accountability

Thursday, February 4, 2016

'She will say yes eventually, that's what happens in films'

By Bilquis Tahira

Bilquis Tahira
Will any man speak up? 

I keep wondering as I watch the eight o’clock prime-time TV play on either the national hook-up or a private channel.

Look at this ‘hero’! He has three girlfriends but is shouting self-righteously, getting more and more purple in the face, threatening us – the viewers – that he is about to have a stroke when he finds out his sister has a boyfriend.

Here’s another young man who is in love with a young woman who is NOT in love with him. Lo and behold! He kidnaps her and forces her into a marriage contract! AND expects her to be an obedient wife!!!

Every day I wake up thinking ‘today I will see a comment/blog protesting against such portrayal of men in media’. Disappointment. Disappointment!

What is it that keeps men quiet in the face of such portrayals? my feminist brain asks. Is it the lure of seeming ‘powerful’ that makes them immune to such blatantly negative portrayals? Or is it denial?

Forgive me, friends, is it arrogance?

There has to be some level of accountability to the young people – girls and boys both – who receive messages such as the ones portrayed in both these depictions. Otherwise, we’re effectively saying that it’s OK to have double standards for men and women…and it is OK to kidnap and force a woman into marriage…AND it is OK then to expect her to be the goody-goody, obedient wife.

Let me share a real-life incident with you. One of my younger friends – 20 years-old perhaps, fell in love with a young woman. She refused him several times but he kept stalking her. When asked why he kept following her, he said, ‘She will say yes eventually, that’s what happens in films.’

My male feminist friends feel the acute pain and suffering that patriarchy has inflicted on them. More men and women need to reject such images and actively do something about it.


Bilquis Tahira is a feminist activist and has been part of the women's movement and human rights movement in Pakistan since 1988. She is a social development and gender expert; a writer and researcher; and is currently the Executive Director of a national Pakistani women's group, Shirakat - Partnership for Development. She is also the National Coordinator of MenEngage Alliance Pakistan - Shirakat being its Secretariat.

Thursday, January 28, 2016

My gender-based privilege workshop

By Terry Howard

WARNING: What follows isn't for the feint-of-heart. It may be hazardous to your health because it may uncork a range of possible reactions – shock, empathy, anger and denial (plus a few choice four-letter words).

Terry Howard
But by the time you finish this, I will have been whisked off under heavy guard to one of my safe houses under a writer's protection program. So don't come gunning for my head, okay?

With that opening salvo, I pry open another diversity "undiscussable": privilege. Unearned privilege, that is.

But before we take the leap, understand that the negative connotation of the word privilege makes it difficult to talk about. Believe me folks, I know, having been stonewalled with silence and stiff-armed with denials the few times I was brave, or naïve, enough to attempt open a dialogue on the topic. I quickly learned that broaching privilege is akin to telling someone that their newborn baby isn't cute; they don't want to hear it.

Need further evidence of the desire to avoid the word privilege? Well, I got some friendly advice from a fellow that we replace the word with the more palatable "systemic advantage." Otherwise, he warns, you won't be listened to. The word is that powerful, that discomfiting, that disabling.

But despite some testiness over the word, privilege does deserve a place in any sincere talk of an inclusive environment. So whatever the risk, I'll poke at a topic that's high up on the list of unmentionables for those who have bought into the myth of meritocracy, or that just can't, or refuse to, see their privilege. The focus here will be on male privilege, or systemic male advantage, if the former is too off-putting for some readers.

Now the question I grappled with is how best to get my readers to come to grips with the reality of privilege, particularly those who have it but can't see it. Research backed up by reams of empirical data was one approach. Having Wellesley College’s renowned expert in privilege, Peggy McIntosh, come to speak on the topic briefly crossed my mind.

Then suddenly, the thought occurred to me that, hey, maybe I could just do a "workshop" on privilege in this space (and from the security of my safe house).

So here goes.

Imagine yourself in a large room of 30 people from different backgrounds (ethnic, economic, age, job function, etc.). Imagine further that the group is evenly split, women and men, and that you're all standing up against a wall in the room facing outward. I'm the facilitator and I'm standing on the other side of the room directly across from you.

As I read each of the following statements, take one step toward me each time you can answer "yes" to the statement:

·    I can be confident that others won't think I got a job or promotion because of my gender.
·    I can be assertive without fear of being called the "b-word."
·    I will never be expected to change my name upon marriage, or questioned if I don't.
·    The decision to hire me will never be based on assumptions about whether or not I might choose to start a family anytime soon.

Okay, now turn around and face those left behind. Who's there? What could be going through their minds right now? Now remain where you are and either step forward or stay put based on your response to the following statements:

·    I can be somewhat sure that if I ask to see the "person in charge," it will be a person of my gender; the higher up in the organization the person is, the surer I can be.
·    The odds of my being sexually harassed are so low as to be negligible.
·    My ability to make decisions and my capabilities in general will never be questioned depending on what time of the month it is.
·    If I'm unattractive, the disadvantages are relatively easy to ignore.

Stop. Don't stalk out. Take a deep breath. Here, take an extra strength Excedrin. You'll get through this, I promise. Let's continue.

Take a step forward if you can honestly say 'yes' to the following:
·    I am not taught to fear walking alone after dark in public places.
·    I can speak in a large group without putting my gender on trial.
·    There are value-neutral clothing choices available to me; it is possible for me to choose clothing that does not send any particular message to the world.
·    It is unlikely that I will be beaten up by a spouse or lover.

Naughty, naughty. Put that chair down, Biffy. It's not nice to throw stuff at the facilitator.

Turn and see who is left standing at the wall. Any surprises? Now for a final round:

·    If I have children and pursue a career, chances are no one will think that I'm selfish for not staying at home.
·    If I fail in my job or career, I can feel sure that that won't be seen as a mark against my entire gender's capabilities.
·    In public places with large crowds, there are seldom long lines of people trying to get into my gender's restroom.

Okay, take your seats and a deep breath while you process what just happened. Now, close your eyes and imagine that one of those consistently left standing at the wall is someone dear to you; perhaps your daughter, wife or partner. Hey, hey, hey, don't throw that cell phone at me. Would someone call Security?

Can unearned privilege be undone?

First, realize that almost everyone has experienced privilege and subordination – we all know what it feels like to be an outsider. So the hope is that sheer empathy can be a strong enough motivator; that members of the privileged can somehow develop the capacity to see themselves from the perspective of those less privileged and either share their privilege or, at a minimum, work to ensure that others are not disadvantaged by their lack of privilege.

Second, understand that protecting privilege is strong because we're taught not to recognize it, says Wellesley's Peggy McIntosh. Systemic advantage – recognized or not – is just not something that people will willingly give up without compelling enough reasons or incentive to do so.

Now it's also important to understand that not all privileged group members have a shared interest in benefiting from their privilege. Thus it's possible for courageous members to challenge the privileges their group takes for granted by refusing to reproduce their privilege and calling into question the privilege-based attitudes, comments and behaviors of fellow group members.

So what else could possibly motivate us to confront the reality of male privilege?

In part, the answer begins with the hard question of adverse business impact – engagement, commitment, productivity – on the part of those women "left standing at the wall." How do you keep them from leaving the wall and heading to the nearest exit, taking with them some much-needed skills and talents? And what's the message, the chilling message, to those promising women who aspire one day to "be like" those who left?

Uh oh, I must run now. A disguise and an undisclosed safe house await me.
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© Terry Howard is an award-winning writer, story-teller and global trainer. He is currently a senior associate with DiversityWealth(www.diversityWealth.com) a contributing writer with the Chattanooga News Chronicle, the American Diversity Report and New York-based Catalyst’s “Men Advocating Real Change.” He can be reached at wwhoward3@gmail.com. To read more from Terry Howard, go to www.mystoriesonlineblog.com.

Thursday, January 14, 2016

Accountability of boys, men and fathers in the gender equality process: a progress framework

by Markus Theunert
There can be no doubt: It is crucial that men reflect on their (fundamental and everyday) accountability if they are to engage in gender equality work. But we have to be aware at the same time that accountability is something like felicity: It always makes sense to look for it but it’s seldom that we experience it to its fulfilment. That is, as long as we perceive and are perceived as men, we can’t act ungendered, we can’t disclaim male privileges, we can’t have the same experiences of inequality as women do. Therefore, our struggle for accountability will never be won: We just can try to get as close as possible again and again. But it will remain an approximation.  
Humans are used to living with tasks which never can’t be finished. So, what’s the problem in pointing this out? There is a danger connected to the accountability approach: The danger that we reflect so hard about acting accountably that we neglect to act or even don’t dare to act at all. Since getting paralyzed can’t be the goal of men moving toward gender equality, we have to look for smart ways to integrate and anchor accountability in a broader framework, as Sebastián Molano demands in his contribution to this blog series. This framework should provide orientation for what we can do (and not only state what we should not do). 
masculinities.ch is the umbrella association of progressive men’s and father’s organizations in Switzerland. During the last decade we developed a conceptual framework which is based on  practical experiences with Michael Messner’s valuable ‘triangle of politics of masculinities’ (1997), differentiating privileges, costs and inequalities of masculinities. While Messner’s triangle proved to be highly helpful for developing positions and alliances, other practical challenges remained unsolved.
We suggest a Triple Advocacy or Triple Accountability model as a complementary concept for gathering and framing progressive contributions of boys, men and fathers to gender equality (e.g. Theunert 2014). The concept simply says that roles and contributions to gender equality that can be provided by boys, men and fathers simultaneously and equivalently enfold three different responsibilities and tasks:
-       Primarily, we are supporters of women’s rights movements and issues (allies);
-       Secondly, we are spokesmen and interceders for the vulnerabilitites and concerns of boys, men and fathers in pursuit of gender equality;
-       Thirdly, we are partners in a larger alliance evolving for social justice and equality for all genders.
The center of the triangle is deemed to be the area of progressive men’s contributions.


Our experience shows that the Triple Advocacy or Triple Accountability framework can prove helpful to deal with challenges and contradictions such as: How can men deal with their institutionalised privileges without denying them or losing themselves in an altruistic, knightly – and therefore still patriarchal – battle for ”the weak ones”?

Markus Theunert (1973) is a Swiss expert for masculinities and gender issues, president of masculinities.ch, umbrella association of progressive men’s and father’s organizations in Switzerland, and program manager of MenCare Switzerland. Mail theunert@maenner.ch

Literature:
Messner, Michael (1997). Politics of Masculinities. Men in Movements. Thousand Oaks/London/New Delhi: Sage
Theunert, Markus (2014). Gleichstellungsorientierte Männerpolitik(en) – Konzept und Spannungsfelder. Eine Positionierung. GENDER, Heft 2/2014, S. 128–139

Friday, January 8, 2016

'It's not like I can take my privileges off like a coat. How do I attend to them?'

By Tim Harwood

Chuck Derry, co-founder, Gender Violence Institute
Accountability. It’s an odd word to attach to the work of gender equality, it may be argued. Evoking financial standard-keeping as it does, and a whiff of Puritanical rectitude, the term deserves a careful airing-out, particularly as we take it from academic circles to the wider public.

What exactly are we talking about when we discuss accountability in gender equality? And why is it important to the goal of gender equality?

Those were the very questions tackled by a webinar hosted by the North America MenEngage Network (NAMEN) Program Working Group last November 9. Entitled (aptly enough) Conceptualizing and implementing accountability in men’s gender equity efforts, the online event tasked three veterans of accountability work – Emiliano Diaz de Leon, Men’s Engagement Specialist for the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault; Shafferan Sonneveld, Global Advocacy Director for Muslims for Progressive Values (MPV); and Chuck Derry, co-founder of the Gender Violence Institute in Minnesota (and a Global Governance Board member of the MenEngage Alliance) – with explaining the term and how it is practically applied to men and women who engage in gender equality work.

After a cautious start, the webinar began to roll and tongues to loosen when Derry described how a 17-year-old Chuck Derry, back in 1973, reckoned – very honestly – with the concept of actual equality between men and women. And this from a then-young man committed to gender equality.

“What would it mean to me personally if men and women were really equal?” Derry said he asked his teenaged self.

“Within two minutes I had the answer: I’d have to give some stuff up. And I thought to myself: ‘Naaah, I don’t think so.’

“I didn’t grow another head; I made this very moral decision not to care. I had a better understanding of what it what a great deal it was to be a guy…but I was really aware of my privilege.”

But then Derry began to work for gender equality, for an organization led by women. And he had an epiphany: “If I’m going to be accountable, I am going to have to give some stuff up.”

“It’s not like I can take off my privileges like a coat. I have them all the time. How do I attend to them? How do I use them to subvert patriarchy? How do I use my influence to support gender justice? How do I engage feminist partners – how do I talk to them, to those most harmed by oppression, because they are living this experience and are most impacted? I really need to talk to my allies: how does this look to you?”

And so when Derry created the Minnesota Men’s Action Network: Alliance to Prevent Sexual and Domestic Violence in 2004, he built the notion of accountability directly into its foundation. He solicited feedback from seven advocacy focus groups in the state in order to “give women a chance to check us out,” and discuss the challenges, opportunities, and threats of male involvement.

That resonated with Shafferan and Diaz de Leon.

For Shafferan and Muslims for Progressive Values – the mission of which is to hold accountable state and non-state actors who use Islam in perpetrating human rights abuses,

“Accountability starts with education, understanding what your rights are, understanding at what point they’re taken away, and then learning whom to call on for accountability – whether it’s the perpetrators themselves, or the enforcers of those rights, who acted negligently.”  For MPV, that means using accessible resources such as infographics and short videos to simplify complicated religious lingo and international human rights law for different audiences.

And while she said MPV is confronted on a daily basis by patriarchal interpretations of Islamic tradition, there is a growing movement of Islamic feminists who promote gender equality. The challenge is to recruit male religious leaders to debunk harmful interpretations and hold men accountable. “There are many imams who are true advocates of women’s rights. They need a boost so that their voices become the dominant narrative,” she said. “We believe that violence can only be eradicated once mindsets are changed, and we transform societal norms through communities.”

For Diaz de Leon and the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault, accountability on an individual, practical level requires “ongoing conversations with prevention educators in local communities, who have the capacity to go around at a state and local level.

Most of the time, we are invited by women to be in those spaces, to do this work…In the work that I do, there’s a lot of work that men have to do when they come to a local program: we have to ensure sure that these men are willing to engage in a process of transformation. It’s difficult work; this is not easy. It can be painful, but it’s part of the responsibility of the work we’re doing.”
He said it come down to relationship building within organizations.

“We’ve had positive and negative experiences, not always with positive outcomes. But it’s important to have conversations. What are the things we need to have in place to ensure that these conversations take place in a safe space; and then develop policies and procedures to hold men accountable?

“We haven’t found the perfect model – each situation is really different. But our responses have to be flexible, and appropriate and well-timed.”

Thanks are also owed to webinar moderator Omair Paul, who very ably steered the discussion to its many insights; and to Dr. Alan Heisterkamp, director of the Center for Violence Prevention at the University of Northern Iowa, which kindly served as the webinar host site.




Thursday, December 17, 2015

On the power of norms and the norms of power

Riki Wilchins
TrueChild


I had a meeting recently with an economist at the World Bank. Part researcher and part policy-maker, he explained that the Bank had been pleased to see marked and measurable improvement in the lot of women and girls in almost two dozen countries they track and fund.  Hearteningly, the improvements spanned a variety of metrics, including economic participation and civic and political engagement.

But in a number of key areas -- partner violence, reproductive health, education, and having their voices heard -- women continued to worryingly lag behind.

Being the World Bank, they brought immense resources to bear to better understand what the hidden barriers might be. They convened focus groups in 20 countries, from Papua New Guinea to Poland and Peru.  Over 4,000 people in 93 communities were heard from.
                
The result is a magisterial 160 page report: On Norms and Agency. Their conclusion is that the hidden barrier is gender norms. Or to use their language, "Women’s and men’s opportunities and actions are determined as much by social norms—including gender roles and beliefs about their abilities and capacities—as by the conditions of the communities and countries they live in…Women must constantly negotiate and resist traditional [gender] expectations about what they are to do and who they are to be." [A brief abstract is here, the full report is here.]
                
The focus on normative beliefs, expectations and social scripts might seem a little startling from an institution that prides itself on data driven analyses that look at cold, hard facts on the ground.  And gender norms are historically considered one of those "soft" metrics you avoid if you want hard data, like economic indicators. Yet gender has become the core of their new approach.
                
Put succinctly, if we want to improve the lot of women and girls, we must being challenging culturally relevant norms of masculinity and femininity, because that's what's holding them back.
                
This is an argument that TrueChild has been quietly making for several years. It's especially important because it has the capacity to bridge the disconnect in gender work between the gender-equity camp and the (much smaller) gender-norms camp.
                
Most US funders say "adopt a gender lens" when what they really mean is more funding to improve gender equity for women and girls. This is an entirely important goal. But it is not a "gender lens." It not only overlooks men and boys (and LGBTQ), it skips over gender norms entirely.

The World Bank's report shows that if you unpack gender inequalities, it is cultural attitudes and beliefs about masculinity and femininity that sustain such disparities. This means if you want to improve gender equity, you have to go through gender norms: there's just no way around them.

For instance, we can pour funds into girls' higher education in developing countries, but as long as the local gender culture dictates that "good girls" drop out to get marry early and raise families, there will be a ceiling on the progress we can make.

(In terms perhaps more relevant for the US, we might say that we can keep funding STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) for girls, but as long as they internalize feminine norms that make self-worth a function of their looks and bodies rather than their brains and ability—not to mention that female "nerds" are considered unsexy and unpopular – we should similarly expect our progress to have a ceiling.)

This was revelatory stuff. I asked my guide at the Bank who could be the audience for a 160 page report? Personally, I'd rather wait for the movie to come out. It's not exactly the kind of thing most policy-makers or funders will sit and read at one sitting (although the brief introduction, "On the Power of Norms and the Norms of Power" is worth the price of admission).  

He explained that it was an internal document, for their own people. The World Bank, one of our largest institutions for improving lives in developing countries, is working hard to educate their own people about gender norms because the data shows it will increase life outcomes and equity for women and girls.

Shouldn't we be doing likewise?

To help provide interested program officers get a leg up on things like terminology, the latest reports, and simple concrete steps they can take, we've launched a new online portal here.

[Portions of this post previously ran in the summer issue of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy newsletter.]

Thursday, December 10, 2015

(1)Huffington Post blog by Nikki van der Gaag; (2)IDS Interactions dialogue between Amel Fahmy and Nikki van der Gaag/Joni van de Sand


Excerpt:
I seem to spend a lot of time talking and writing about men these days. Which is perhaps a little weird for a longtime feminist. And I sometimes think I can never get it right.
I recently did a Tedx talk entitled 'Why feminism needs men and why men need feminism'. Controversial perhaps, but certainly not anti-men. I knew about online trolling, but I wasn't expecting such a barrage of misogyny and plain misinterpretation of what I had said.

Then there are some of my feminist friends, who are much more intelligent than the trolls and much more polite, but who basically think that engaging with men is a waste of time.
I have spent most of my life working on women's and girls' rights and I continue to argue strongly against the violence, discrimination and abuse that are still all too common.
But in the last few years I have become increasingly convinced that unless we as feminists engage with men and boys, things will only change so far - and they may even go backwards. Which is why I wrote my book Feminism and Men. And why I have been working with people in organisations, groups and campaigns that are trying to involve men in work on gender equality. For example, the White Ribboncampaign of men against violence against women, Instituto Promundo, which began by working with young men in Brazilian favelas and continues to work on social norms in many parts of the world, Sonke Gender Justice, which works against violence and for a more equal society for all in South Africa, and the MenCare campaign that aims to get more men involved in the home…

Read the entire Huffington Post blog here.

Institute of Development Studies Interactions Dialogue
Engaging men and boys toward gender justice: my ‘aha’ moment
By Amel Fahmy with responses by Nikki van der Gaag and Joni van de Sand

Excerpt:
In 2014, I was asked by TEDx Cairo to give a talk on street sexual harassment in Egypt. I was excited about this opportunity as my message would reach thousands of people in Egypt and I might be able to convince some to join the fight against sexual harassment and become agents of change.

 I started my talk by asking the audience to imagine/reflect on the way women walk in the streets and compare it to the way men walk in the street. Egyptian women present in the public streets are always alert in fear and anticipation of sexual harassment, where most of them (99.3 per cent) experience sexual harassment (UN Women 2013).

 During my talk, female audience members were nodding and smiling, while the males were noticeably uncomfortable, (pressing hands, grim features etc. Later, after my talk I was approached by many women who congratulated me and expressed appreciation for highlighting this wide spread violation they experience on daily basis. On the other hand, no men approached me to comment or discuss the talk…

Read the entire IDS Interactions dialogue 
here.


Thursday, December 3, 2015

The gender politics of men's anti-violence work

By Michael Flood

The ideal or principle of accountability is widespread in gender-conscious work with men. Its practice may be more uneven, with research in men’s anti-violence groups in the US, for example, finding two problems: definitions of accountability often were absent or diverse or unclear, and the burden of policing men’s sexist behaviour typically fell to women (Macomber 2012). On the other hand, two international initiatives show promise. The Engaging Men through Accountable Practice (EMAP) intervention provides a curriculum for engaging men in change in relation to personal and relational accountability (International Rescue Committee 2014). MenEngage, a global alliance comprising over 700 non-government organisations, country networks, and UN partners, recently developed accountability standards and guidelines for its members (MenEngage 2014).

Around the world, there are few if any instances where violence prevention work with men has directly taken funding away from work with women. One could argue that directing any resources to work with men by definition takes resources away from work with women, given a limited funding pie. However, assessing the implications of this then is a matter in part of assessing their relative value and effectiveness in ending violence against women. Funding support for work with men and boys, as a proportion of all work addressing gender equality, appears to be very small. For example, direct support provided to organisations or programmes targeting men and boys by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) in 2012 comprised only 0.8 percent of its total funding for gender equality (Dover 2014).

There have been tensions between efforts to engage men and boys in preventing violence against women and girls and other feminist efforts focused on women and girls themselves. For example, an international study among representatives of organisations that engage men and boys (in Africa, Asia, Europe, Oceania, and North and South America) found that many spoke of experiencing suspicion from or conflict with victims’ organisations and feminist and (other) women’s groups. Interviewees expressed concern regarding the allocation of resources, ideological compatibility, and leadership sharing (Casey et al. 2013).

Another concern is that men may ‘take over’ violence prevention campaigns. While there are international cases of men taking over programmes on gender, there are few if any documented cases of men taking over women’s or feminist violence prevention campaigns. Men in communities often argue for their right to involvement in women-focused events, such as Take Back the Night marches in the USA (Kretschmer and Barber 2014). However, this demand rarely if ever comes from male anti-violence advocates themselves. While men-focused organisations are increasingly visible, especially in North America, most work engaging men in violence prevention around the globe is done by broader women’s and violence prevention organisations (Kimball et al. 2012). Perhaps the greater problem here is not that men will take over, but that they will not turn up, in that few men join efforts to prevent violence against women and much of the work is done by women. In Australia, for example, while the White Ribbon Campaign is described as a ‘male-led’ effort to end violence against women, only one-third of the community events in 2014 were organised by men (L. Davies, pers. comm.).

A more obvious problem is that the small numbers of men who do participate in violence prevention advocacy sometimes do act in patriarchal ways. It is an article of faith in men’s anti-violence work that men should strive for non-violent and gender-equitable practice in their own lives. The small number of studies among male activists and educators – nearly all from North America, and none which are longitudinal –  does find that these men do develop more anti-sexist forms of practice (Flood 2014). At the same time, this research also shows that some male activists and educators espouse stereotypical notions of their roles as protectors and defenders of women, emphasise their homosocial investments in evaluations by male rather than female peers, or respond in defensively homophobic ways to others’ perceptions of their transgressions of masculinity (Flood 2014). Men may not take over entire campaigns, but Macomber’s (2012) careful research among US ‘engaging men’ groups finds that some men in the movement do dominate interactions and interactions, claim unearned expertise, or act in other patriarchal ways. This is not surprising given the patterns of masculine socialisation to which most men are subjected.

Male advocates in the violence prevention field may be given greater status, power, and recognition than women doing similar work and rise more quickly to leadership positions (Macomber 2012). This echoes the ‘glass escalator’ effect documented among men in other feminised professions such as nursing and primary school teaching (Williams 1995). At the same time, other axes of privilege and disadvantage in any particular context are likely to intersect with such processes. Research from the USA on Black men’s experience as male nurses (Wingfield 2009) suggests that the glass escalator effect in men’s violence prevention may more available to white, heterosexual, economically privileged men than to other men.


Excerpted from: Flood, Michael. (2015). Work with men to end violence against women: A critical stocktake. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 2015. Vol. 17, No. S2, S159–S176, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13691058.2015.1070435. Full text available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282305552_Work_with_men_to_end_violence_against_women_a_critical_stocktake.