Working with Boys and Men

Men’s anti-violence activism is an important case study of male involvement in struggles for gender justice. What does this activism involve, why do men participate, and how do patriarchal inequalities shape both men’s efforts and their reception?

Making boys anti-sexist will soon be on the curriculum of many school systems. "We can do even better," claims Nick Sellars.

Jeremy Ludowyke examines the gender equity debate in education.

Stephen Fisher assesses three approaches to boyswork. Please see below for the attachment, in PDF.

Sexual violence is a men’s issue. Men perpetrate the vast majority of sexual assault –
regardless of the gender of the person victimized; men too are victimized, and men are
the significant others (lovers, housemates, sons, classmates, brothers, cousins…) of
women and men who are sexually victimized. In all of these ways, sexual violence is an
issue that men confront. In spite of this, and in spite of the increasing efforts over the
past 20 years to define sexual violence as a men’s issue, men, by and large, continue to
ignore, deny, minimize, and otherwise avoid the issues of sexual violence. Sexual
violence is still conceived of as a “woman’s issue,” and men still make up only a tiny
minority of those present at events addressing sexual assault.

Michael Flood reviews what works and doesn't work in violence prevention education with men, focusing on educational strategies which are face-to-face. See below for the attachment, in PDF.

Male involvement in sexual violence prevention has increased sharply over the past decade. Organizations such as Men Can Stop Rape, The Oakland Men’s Project, One In Four, and the White Ribbon Campaign have received tremendous interest from both within, and outside of, the established anti-rape movement. The past ten years have also seen some sexual assault crisis centers (SACCs) renewing the social change “roots” of their work by developing or strengthening primary prevention projects - projects intended to prevent the initial perpetration of sexual violence. Many of these SACCs, sometimes in conjunction with campus-based sexual violence programs, have recognized the need for prevention programming that connects with young men. The rationale for this heightened interest in male-focused programming comes from the fact that males commit the vast majority of sexual violence, and are thus in a powerful position to generate change. To this end, these programs often seek participation from male allies in order to gain greater insight into what types of messages and methods might resonate with men in their larger community, offer positive, non-violent alternatives to traditional masculinity, and/or model constructive cross-gender collaboration.

Should men be included in programming and policy related to gender, and, if so, how can male inclusion be made most beneficial? Michael Flood provides an overview, in this piece published in the Development Bulletin, No. 64, March 2004. Please see the attachment below in PDF.

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.