Training on Engaging Men and Boys in Gender Equality Programming

Many gender equality initiatives focus primarily on empowering women and girls.

And rightly so.

Women and girls continue to face significant barriers in education, leadership, economic participation, health, safety, and decision-making across many societies.

However, sustainable gender equality cannot be achieved by working with only half of the population.

Because many of the norms, attitudes, behaviors, institutions, and power structures that influence gender outcomes also involve men and boys.

Consider common challenges:

• Gender-based violence
• Harmful gender norms
• Unequal caregiving responsibilities
• Workplace discrimination
• Child marriage
• Educational disparities
• Sexual and reproductive health barriers
• Limited male engagement in caregiving and parenting

Programs often seek to change these outcomes.

Yet they may overlook a critical question:

How can men and boys become active partners in advancing gender equality?

The answer is not about shifting attention away from women and girls.

It is about recognizing that meaningful and lasting change often requires engaging everyone affected by gender norms and expectations.

This is where engaging men and boys becomes essential.

Effective gender equality programming helps men and boys critically examine harmful stereotypes, adopt positive and equitable behaviors, strengthen healthy relationships, support women's rights, and contribute to more inclusive communities and institutions.

This course equips participants with practical knowledge, tools, and strategies to design, implement, monitor, and evaluate programs that engage men and boys as allies, advocates, caregivers, leaders, and agents of positive social change.

And yes, we will explore why programs that ignore men's roles in gender transformation often struggle to achieve long-term impact.

Overview

Gender equality is increasingly recognized as a prerequisite for sustainable development, social justice, economic growth, human rights protection, and peaceful societies. While substantial progress has been made globally, many gender inequalities remain deeply rooted in social norms, cultural expectations, institutional practices, and power dynamics.

Engaging men and boys in gender equality programming has emerged as a critical strategy for addressing these challenges. By involving men and boys as participants, partners, allies, and advocates, programs can promote healthier masculinities, strengthen support for gender equality, reduce violence, improve family and community relationships, and create more sustainable social change.

Effective engagement goes beyond awareness-raising. It requires understanding gender norms, power relations, behavioral change processes, socialization patterns, community dynamics, and evidence-based intervention approaches.

Organizations working in development, humanitarian action, public health, education, governance, social protection, peacebuilding, human rights, and community development increasingly integrate male engagement strategies into their programs.

This course provides participants with practical skills for designing inclusive gender-transformative interventions, facilitating dialogue, engaging communities, addressing resistance, promoting positive masculinity, and measuring program outcomes.

Through practical exercises, behavioral change simulations, stakeholder analyses, program design workshops, and real-world case studies, participants will develop the expertise needed to engage men and boys effectively in gender equality initiatives.

Duration

5 Days

Who Should Attend

• Gender Specialists
• Program Managers
• Project Coordinators
• Community Development Practitioners
• Social Development Officers
• Humanitarian Professionals
• Public Health Practitioners
• Education Program Managers
• Youth Development Specialists
• NGO and Civil Society Personnel
• Government Officials
• Social Workers
• Child Protection Professionals
• Gender-Based Violence Practitioners
• Human Rights Officers
• Monitoring and Evaluation Specialists
• Community Mobilizers
• Policy Advisors
• Faith-Based Organization Leaders
• Researchers and Academics

Individual Impact

• Strengthen gender programming expertise
• Improve facilitation and engagement skills
• Enhance behavioral change communication competencies
• Develop gender-transformative programming capabilities
• Improve stakeholder engagement skills
• Strengthen monitoring and evaluation practices
• Gain practical experience in male engagement approaches

Organizational Impact

• Improve effectiveness of gender equality programs
• Strengthen community engagement outcomes
• Reduce resistance to gender initiatives
• Improve gender-transformative programming
• Enhance prevention of gender-based violence
• Strengthen family and community well-being outcomes
• Improve stakeholder participation
• Increase sustainability of social change initiatives
• Support inclusive development objectives
• Strengthen organizational impact and accountability

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Understand gender equality concepts and frameworks
• Analyze the role of men and boys in gender transformation
• Examine gender norms, masculinities, and power dynamics
• Design gender-transformative programs
• Apply behavioral and social norms change approaches
• Facilitate inclusive dialogue and engagement processes
• Promote positive masculinity and healthy relationships
• Strengthen male allyship and advocacy
• Address resistance to gender equality initiatives
• Support prevention of gender-based violence
• Engage men in caregiving and family well-being
• Develop monitoring and evaluation frameworks
• Measure behavioral and social change outcomes
• Strengthen community-based gender interventions
• Lead inclusive gender equality initiatives

Module 1: Foundations of Gender Equality and Male Engagement

Topics

• Gender concepts and terminology
• Gender equality frameworks
• Gender norms and socialization
• Masculinities and identity
• Power and privilege dynamics
• Rationale for engaging men and boys
• Evidence and lessons learned

Practical Exercise

Conduct a gender norms analysis within a selected community or organizational context.

Case Study

Programs successfully engaging men and boys in gender equality initiatives.

Module 2: Understanding Masculinities, Power, and Social Norms

Topics

• Concepts of masculinity
• Positive and harmful masculinities
• Social norms and behavior formation
• Intersectionality considerations
• Power structures and gender relations
• Gender expectations across the life cycle
• Impacts of harmful norms on men and women

Practical Exercise

Analyze how social norms influence gender outcomes and behaviors.

Case Study

Transforming harmful gender norms through community engagement.

Module 3: Designing Gender-Transformative Programs

Topics

• Gender-transformative programming principles
• Theory of change development
• Program design methodologies
• Community-based approaches
• Youth engagement strategies
• Family-centered interventions
• Inclusive participation mechanisms

Practical Exercise

Design a gender-transformative intervention targeting men and boys.

Case Study

Community programs promoting equitable gender relations.

Module 4: Facilitating Engagement, Dialogue, and Behavior Change

Topics

• Behavioral change theories
• Participatory facilitation techniques
• Community dialogue approaches
• Communication for social change
• Addressing resistance and backlash
• Building male allyship
• Advocacy and leadership development

Practical Exercise

Facilitate a simulated dialogue session on gender equality and positive masculinity.

Case Study

Behavior change interventions reducing harmful gender practices.

Module 5: Monitoring, Evaluation, and Sustainability of Gender Equality Programs

Topics

• Monitoring and evaluation frameworks
• Measuring attitude and behavior change
• Gender-sensitive indicators
• Learning and adaptation approaches
• Safeguarding and ethical considerations
• Scaling successful interventions
• Sustainability strategies

Practical Exercise

Develop a comprehensive Engaging Men and Boys Program Strategy, including objectives, intervention approaches, monitoring indicators, stakeholder engagement plans, and sustainability measures.

Case Study

Long-term impact and sustainability of male engagement programs.