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Men, power and politics

Guide / Training Material

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November 27, 2020

Men, power and politics

Source: NDI

The Men, Power and Politics program guidance is a tool to engage male political leaders as transformative agents of change for gender equality. It focuses on men, political power and gender norms in order to restructure political organizations for gender equality as part of organizational development and political strategy. This approach represents a diversion from the aforementioned democracy and governance approaches, with an intentional focus on promoting equitable social norm change as a key factor in program success

In a series of linked exercises, facilitators and program implementers enable the development of support for norm change in male political leaders. First, male political leaders are given the opportunity to personalize issues of gender; to understand their own disproportionate power and privilege, and the impact this has on their lives, their families and their communities. Second, the participating political leaders are encouraged to professionalize this new understanding by applying it to how gender norms impact broader political contexts and political organizations. Third, the approach supports men to leverage this increased understanding of gender norms to strategize how to achieve organizational change and broader gender equality efforts in ways that are accountable to women.

The program guidance provides tools that democracy and governance practitioners and gender equality experts can use to incorporate this approach into comprehensive programs to promote women’s political participation. It consists of three main sections following a standard program cycle: Preparation, Implementation, and Monitoring and Evaluation. It also includes Key Concepts and Additional Resources for the understanding and application of the approach.

Click here to see the guide.

Focus areas

The Men, Power and Politics program guidance is a tool to engage male political leaders as transformative agents of change for gender equality. It focuses on men, political power and gender norms in order to restructure political organizations for gender equality as part of organizational development and political strategy. This approach represents a diversion from the aforementioned democracy and governance approaches, with an intentional focus on promoting equitable social norm change as a key factor in program success

In a series of linked exercises, facilitators and program implementers enable the development of support for norm change in male political leaders. First, male political leaders are given the opportunity to personalize issues of gender; to understand their own disproportionate power and privilege, and the impact this has on their lives, their families and their communities. Second, the participating political leaders are encouraged to professionalize this new understanding by applying it to how gender norms impact broader political contexts and political organizations. Third, the approach supports men to leverage this increased understanding of gender norms to strategize how to achieve organizational change and broader gender equality efforts in ways that are accountable to women.

The program guidance provides tools that democracy and governance practitioners and gender equality experts can use to incorporate this approach into comprehensive programs to promote women’s political participation. It consists of three main sections following a standard program cycle: Preparation, Implementation, and Monitoring and Evaluation. It also includes Key Concepts and Additional Resources for the understanding and application of the approach.

Click here to see the guide.

Focus areas