Report summary: Men in politics as agents of gender equitable change

This report is authored by ALIGN and its partners.

Report name

Men in politics as agents of gender equitable change: gender norms and political masculinities

Who wrote this report?

ALIGN is a digital platform and programme of work that is creating a global community of researchers, practitioners and thought leaders, all committed to gender justice and equality. ALIGN provides new research, insights from practice and grants for initiatives that increase understanding of – and work to change – discriminatory gender norms.

Best quote

The word feminist is considered as “not manly, bro”. The word feminist is supposed to be used for women, not for men. We need to change the term for men too.

– Male politician, research participant from Malaysia

Key takeaways:

• A growing number of male politicians may support some gender equality and women’s rights causes, but most of the supporters in the three study countries refuse to identify as feminists and describe themselves as allies, advocates or supporters instead.
• The refusal of the feminist identity is based on a calculation that weighs personal experiences, knowledge of feminism and institutional and societal factors, such as political party practices and debates about westernisation and tradition among potential voters.
• Men in politics in some contexts could benefit from networking and knowledge-sharing opportunities, potentially from local feminist organisations, that help to demystify feminism, expose politicians to positive male role models and enhance personal stories and connections to feminists.

What’s in this report?

A growing number of self-proclaimed feminist male politicians might suggest a turning tide for achieving gender equality. However, the report highlights key obstacles that are hidden behind these proclamations that need urgent attention to achieve gender equality. These include a continued misunderstanding by male politicians of what feminism is, which causes them concern with taking up gender equality work, or young people’s distrust of politics that limits the potential impact male allies can have. These and other factors outlined in the study should be analysed in various country contexts when deciding how to engage more men in positions of power in addressing the current slow progress on gender equality.

This multi-report study, rich with qualitative data from key informant interviews and group discussions, offers three sets of original findings from participants in Colombia, Liberia and Malaysia:

1. **Descriptions of how men in politics relate to feminism as they understand it, **and which alternative labels, such as ally, advocate, supporter or humanist they prefer. It shows the role that women and social justice movements play in motivating their work and offers an insightful visual scale of reasons behind the refusal of the feminist label.
2. Factors (personal, institutional and social) that shape politicians’ calculations behind engaging with gender equality. These factors range from concerns over the role of tradition, culture and religion in society, through their responses to feminist movements, social justice activism, global political efforts and local discourses around Westernisation and development as they understand them.
3. **How women in politics, activists and university students view these men, and men in politics more broadly. **Their views are predominantly sceptical with a general distrust of politics, and continue to perceive politics as a masculinist, harmful space.

Why should you read this report?

A growing number of men in politics have in recent years claimed to be feminists or support feminist politics. Barack Obama, Emmanuel Macron, George Weah or Gustavo Petro to name a few. These men in positions of power have the potential to significantly contribute to addressing gender inequalities because of their social and political power. With rising anti-gender and anti-feminist attacks in many parts of the world and women’s continued underrepresentation in politics, it is crucial to better assess if more resources should be made available to work with pro-feminist men in politics.

The ALIGN research project _Men in politics as agents of gender equitable change _examined how some male politicians in Colombia, Liberia and Malaysia understand and describe their support for gender equality, women’s rights and feminism. It delves into the factors that shape their decisions and practices but also offers the perspective of women politicians, activists and university students on the work and behaviours of male politicians.

By focusing on this important, yet under-researched group of men in political power, the project offers suggestions for strategies to engage with these men while staying accountable to feminist movements and women’s rights organisations.

Who is this report for?

The report is a helpful resource for civil society organisations (CSOs), politicians and researchers who work on gender equality, including women’s political empowerment. For example, CSOs which offer training to political parties can find suggestions of topics to cover, while political leaders can consider which enablers could be amplified or put in place in their party structures, such as mentorships and networks, to enable more men to work on gender equality issues. It also outlines areas of future research to increase the evidence base for masculinity programming to ensure the effective use of donor funding towards feminist agendas.

🔗 Read the full report here. 🔗