What is MenEngage Alliance?
MenEngage Alliance is an international network of civil society organizations that implement, research and advocate for gender-transformative approaches to engaging men and boys for women’s rights and gender justice. The Alliance currently has more than 1000 member organizations across 88 countries worldwide and is organized in decentralized country and regional-level networks. In partnership with women’s rights and gender justice activists and organizations, the Alliance seeks to add value to existing initiatives by exploring how transforming patriarchal masculinities and engaging men and boys can contribute to the joint objectives set by feminist and social justice movements. The work brings a men and masculinities lens to initiatives that seek to eliminate gender-based violence and discrimination, advance sexual and reproductive health and rights for all, redistribute unpaid care work, and transform militarized masculinities in order to achieve peace and security.
Men and Masculinities
MenEngage Alliance understands ‘men and masculinities’ as a perspective through which it can support the broader movement for women’s rights and gender justice, and considers itself part of the growing approach that explicitly involves ‘men and masculinities’ in broader work for gender justice. This field seeks to understand and analyse men and boys’ experiences as gendered beings, how rigid notions of masculinities shape their attitudes and behavior, and their roles and responsibilities in achieving gender justice for all. The Alliance seeks to challenge stereotypical male gender roles and patriarchal expressions of manhood, and support manifestations of nonviolent, equitable and inclusive attitudes and behaviors by transforming social norms that are the root causes of gender inequalities. By doing so, the Alliance seeks to create a more just and equal world for women, men and people of all genders.
Grappling with backlash
Women’s rights and gender justice actors in diverse contexts are facing conservative backlash to their work, including from “men’s rights” groups, faith-based groups, and States who are antiwomen’s rights and dispute key aspects of gender equality. Resistance to progress on gender equality manifests through a variety of different groups in which men play significant roles, including ‘father’s rights’ groups, religious groups, nationalist groups, the so-called ‘incel movement’ and various other ‘men’s rights activists’ (MRAs). These groups can be well-funded and are often well-organized, with a significant popular following. They often promote flawed data and research. Besides organised groups, there is backlash at the individual and micro level.
This may, for example, result from a feeling that young men and boys are being left behind in terms of educational achievement, or that the emphasis on advancing the rights of women and girls is at the expense of men and boys. These trends highlight the need to better communicate messages and research that deconstruct regressive ideas and promote positive, healthy, egalitarian and human-rights based thinking.
Attacks on feminism tend to follow a pattern that aims to maintain the status quo. It is often rooted in concerns that are particular to men and the maintenance of male power and privileges alongside other systems and structures of oppression such as white supremacy, colonialism, eurocentrism, heteronormativity and so on. As the discourse around gender has become more mainstream, an anti-women counter-narrative that aims to discredit feminism has been emerging.
Broadly declaring discussions that address gender issues, inequalities, and identities as ‘gender ideology’, this counter-narrative aims to undermine the human rights-based imperative for this work. This forms part of a broader sociopolitical context of rising nationalisms and fundamentalisms in many world regions, resulting in shrinking spaces for women’s rights leaders and organizations and civil society more broadly to work on gender and human rights issues.
But what should be the response of those working with boys and men to support feminist goals? The Alliance needs to be cognizant that ‘men’s rights’ groups are attracting a large number of followers, especially young men, in diverse contexts around the world. They are appealing to those who feel they are losing out or are being left behind by advances in women’s rights. Some MenEngage Alliance members see a challenge of engaging with some men who may be unlikely to listen to an approach based solely on acknowledging male privilege, without addressing their perceived powerlessness.
Careful thought and work is ongoing – and needs to continue at pace – in order to understand how to effectively engage with these men to counter the men’s rights narrative versus women’s rights, and to help them see that existing patriarchal notions of masculinities are at the root of the problems they face. Some members working with men and boys find that certain language around gender and feminism can be off-putting and counterproductive to effecting change in people’s understandings. Members in different contexts are exploring various entry points to having discussions with men and boys.
For instance, engaging with the public health system, or running public campaigns that appeal to popular culture can provide opportunities to work with men and offer discussion, repackaged messaging and statistics, alongside tangible examples of inequalities. Engaging with religious leaders and communities on progressive interpretations of religious scriptures has, in some contexts, been found to be an effective way of countering conservative messaging.
Several Alliance members have achieved good results by engaging faith leaders and have expertise and resources on this. Rather than playing into tendencies to see gender equality as a zero sum game, some members see an increasing importance in recognizing men’s experiences in order to counter the messaging of men’s rights groups.
On the whole, the Alliance needs to better understand whether to engage with or respond to ‘men’s rights groups’ and other conservative forces, and when to avoid doing so. In some cases, engaging with such groups may serve to increase their visibility, validate their message and promote their rhetoric. While the field continues to develop understanding on an appropriate approach, there are some cases in which it may be appropriate to engage, such as when women’s rights organizations request support or if members receive threatening messages.
A more beneficial approach may be engaging with men who are ‘on the fence’. They might, for instance, feel a sense of anger or frustration at expectations on them as boys or men, but fail to see the issues through a feminist lens, and can be a prime target for anti-women and anti-feminist rhetoric. How those working in this area do a better job of reaching those men and boys is an important question that needs to be further explored and addressed.
MenEngage Alliance is an international network of civil society organizations that implement, research and advocate for gender-transformative approaches to engaging men and boys for women’s rights and gender justice. The Alliance currently has more than 1000 member organizations across 88 countries worldwide and is organized in decentralized country and regional-level networks. In partnership with women’s rights and gender justice activists and organizations, the Alliance seeks to add value to existing initiatives by exploring how transforming patriarchal masculinities and engaging men and boys can contribute to the joint objectives set by feminist and social justice movements. The work brings a men and masculinities lens to initiatives that seek to eliminate gender-based violence and discrimination, advance sexual and reproductive health and rights for all, redistribute unpaid care work, and transform militarized masculinities in order to achieve peace and security.
Men and Masculinities
MenEngage Alliance understands ‘men and masculinities’ as a perspective through which it can support the broader movement for women’s rights and gender justice, and considers itself part of the growing approach that explicitly involves ‘men and masculinities’ in broader work for gender justice. This field seeks to understand and analyse men and boys’ experiences as gendered beings, how rigid notions of masculinities shape their attitudes and behavior, and their roles and responsibilities in achieving gender justice for all. The Alliance seeks to challenge stereotypical male gender roles and patriarchal expressions of manhood, and support manifestations of nonviolent, equitable and inclusive attitudes and behaviors by transforming social norms that are the root causes of gender inequalities. By doing so, the Alliance seeks to create a more just and equal world for women, men and people of all genders.
Grappling with backlash
Women’s rights and gender justice actors in diverse contexts are facing conservative backlash to their work, including from “men’s rights” groups, faith-based groups, and States who are antiwomen’s rights and dispute key aspects of gender equality. Resistance to progress on gender equality manifests through a variety of different groups in which men play significant roles, including ‘father’s rights’ groups, religious groups, nationalist groups, the so-called ‘incel movement’ and various other ‘men’s rights activists’ (MRAs). These groups can be well-funded and are often well-organized, with a significant popular following. They often promote flawed data and research. Besides organised groups, there is backlash at the individual and micro level.
This may, for example, result from a feeling that young men and boys are being left behind in terms of educational achievement, or that the emphasis on advancing the rights of women and girls is at the expense of men and boys. These trends highlight the need to better communicate messages and research that deconstruct regressive ideas and promote positive, healthy, egalitarian and human-rights based thinking.
Attacks on feminism tend to follow a pattern that aims to maintain the status quo. It is often rooted in concerns that are particular to men and the maintenance of male power and privileges alongside other systems and structures of oppression such as white supremacy, colonialism, eurocentrism, heteronormativity and so on. As the discourse around gender has become more mainstream, an anti-women counter-narrative that aims to discredit feminism has been emerging.
Broadly declaring discussions that address gender issues, inequalities, and identities as ‘gender ideology’, this counter-narrative aims to undermine the human rights-based imperative for this work. This forms part of a broader sociopolitical context of rising nationalisms and fundamentalisms in many world regions, resulting in shrinking spaces for women’s rights leaders and organizations and civil society more broadly to work on gender and human rights issues.
But what should be the response of those working with boys and men to support feminist goals? The Alliance needs to be cognizant that ‘men’s rights’ groups are attracting a large number of followers, especially young men, in diverse contexts around the world. They are appealing to those who feel they are losing out or are being left behind by advances in women’s rights. Some MenEngage Alliance members see a challenge of engaging with some men who may be unlikely to listen to an approach based solely on acknowledging male privilege, without addressing their perceived powerlessness.
Careful thought and work is ongoing – and needs to continue at pace – in order to understand how to effectively engage with these men to counter the men’s rights narrative versus women’s rights, and to help them see that existing patriarchal notions of masculinities are at the root of the problems they face. Some members working with men and boys find that certain language around gender and feminism can be off-putting and counterproductive to effecting change in people’s understandings. Members in different contexts are exploring various entry points to having discussions with men and boys.
For instance, engaging with the public health system, or running public campaigns that appeal to popular culture can provide opportunities to work with men and offer discussion, repackaged messaging and statistics, alongside tangible examples of inequalities. Engaging with religious leaders and communities on progressive interpretations of religious scriptures has, in some contexts, been found to be an effective way of countering conservative messaging.
Several Alliance members have achieved good results by engaging faith leaders and have expertise and resources on this. Rather than playing into tendencies to see gender equality as a zero sum game, some members see an increasing importance in recognizing men’s experiences in order to counter the messaging of men’s rights groups.
On the whole, the Alliance needs to better understand whether to engage with or respond to ‘men’s rights groups’ and other conservative forces, and when to avoid doing so. In some cases, engaging with such groups may serve to increase their visibility, validate their message and promote their rhetoric. While the field continues to develop understanding on an appropriate approach, there are some cases in which it may be appropriate to engage, such as when women’s rights organizations request support or if members receive threatening messages.
A more beneficial approach may be engaging with men who are ‘on the fence’. They might, for instance, feel a sense of anger or frustration at expectations on them as boys or men, but fail to see the issues through a feminist lens, and can be a prime target for anti-women and anti-feminist rhetoric. How those working in this area do a better job of reaching those men and boys is an important question that needs to be further explored and addressed.
