Project Summary
Gendered violence has led to a proliferation of policies and programs designed to support men and boys to adopt more respectful and inclusive attitudes and behaviours. This project has examined how masculinities, gender and violence are understood and approached within 20 community-based programs in Victoria (Australia) designed to support young men. It has highlighted the significance of a gender and social justice approach to this work and developed a tool for program leaders, designers and facilitators to assess the extent to which their program reflects gender/social justice.
The Project
Gendered violence has led to a proliferation of community-based programs designed to support men and boys to adopt more respectful and inclusive attitudes and behaviours. While most programs are positive in supporting these goals, they can differ markedly in their political approach. Approaches may range from intersectional, critical and feminist-informed, to an uncritical celebration of essentialised maleness. These different approaches can have varying implications for social cohesion and social justice. This project is funded by the Centre for Resilient and Inclusive Societies (CRIS) and has involved an evaluation of existing community-based programs in Victoria designed to support young men to adopt pro-social behaviours. It has examined:
- How programs understand masculinities, gender, violence and inclusion in their work with men and boys
- How these understandings of masculinities, gender, violence and inclusion reflect the principles of social inclusion and social justice; and
- The key enabling and constraining factors of these programs towards realising the goals of social cohesion and gender justice.
The project has produced several academic publications and a resource:
Working with boys and men for social justice resource:
The Working with Men and Boys for Social Justice Assessment Tool aims to provide leaders, designers and facilitators of programs or initiatives for men and boys the opportunity to review, reflect on and strengthen principles of gender and social justice. The Tool comprises key aspects that support positive social change in programs designed for men and boys.
See the resource: https://www.crisconsortium.org/masculinities-assessment
