ABSTRACT
This chapter describes some of the main findings emerging from research on men, masculinities, and programmes that seek to change social norms related to violent or gender inequitable views of manhood in ways that improve health. Sexual and reproductive health (SRH), and to some extent prevailing HIV prevention paradigms, have used a gender lens to focus on the vulnerabilities and disempowerment of women and girls. Research in the reproductive health field often collects data on sexual and reproductive health only from women (Greene and Biddlecom 2000), and, in a mutually reinforcing cycle, it often uses a gender lens to focus on women’s disadvantaged position without addressing the role of masculinity in both contributing to gender inequities and putting men and their partners at risk. In this chapter, we seek to bring in this perspective, highlighting how applying a gender perspective to men and masculinities provides a more nuanced view of the health needs and rights of both men and women.
