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Father and son in Ethiopia. Photo: David Walker/Overseas Development Institute

Programming with adolescent boys to promote gender-equitable masculinities: A rigorous review

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Programming with adolescent boys to promote gender-equitable masculinities: A rigorous review

29.12.2018 | Cross-Country

Country

Cross-Country

Capability domains

Bodily integrity and freedom from violence

Audience type

Programme designer or implementer

Year of publication

2018

Download evidence review

Authors

Rachel Marcus, Maria Stavropoulou and Nandini Archer-Gupta

Gender-inequitable norms of masculinity are widely recognised to sustain the disempowerment of women and girls, underpinning inequalities in gender-based access to economic opportunities and decision-making power, as well as harmful practices such as gender-based violence. Dominant forms of masculinity also undermine boys and men’s wellbeing, with particular harm to their physical and psychosocial health.

A growing number of programmes work with adolescent boys and young men to promote gender-equitable masculinities, largely through face-to-face gender awareness education that seeks to challenge current norms, attitudes and patterns of behaviour and to provide a context in which boys and young men can develop more equitable attitudes.

Most studies to date have considered boys and men together. Reflecting the transformative potential of intervention in adolescence, this rigorous review brings together evidence of the impacts, challenges and potential of programmes that work with young and older adolescent boys. It draws on a review of 34 programmes in 22 low- and middle-income countries. Around half the programmes work in urban and half in rural areas, and most explicitly target poor and marginalised communities.

Suggested citation

Marcus, R. (2018) Programming to promote gender-equitable masculinities among adolescent boys: key findings from a rigorous review. London: Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence (https://www.gage.odi.org/publication/masculinities-a-rigorous-review/)