Men and boys are central to the changes necessary for ending gender-based violence (GBV). These changes include difficult transformations: men changing deeply entrenched behaviors and the social norms that support them, re-balancing power in intimate and social relationships, change in institutional cultures and how economies are organized to privilege men. Men and boys can be engaged in meaningful ways in these changes at different times in their lives and in different roles: as policy makers, community leaders, senior management and business owners, as well as co-workers, neighbors, partners, friends and family members.

As a driver for these different changes, an overarching goal for sustained GBV prevention is re-defining masculinity or “ways of being a man.” Masculinities are different definitions of what it means to be a man in different cultural contexts around the world. The plural form “masculinities” conveys that there are many possibilities for being a man and that these can change over time and from place to place. The most celebrated and pervasive versions of masculinity are often associated with men being powerful, successful, heterosexual and in control. This can translate as men’s control over women, their autonomy and their bodies. GBV, or the threat of such violence, is used to maintain this sense of control and power. GBV can also be used to reassert men’s sense of control, especially when men are marginalized, threated or under stress themselves.

The opportunities to work with boys and men in transformative ways - while simultaneously working with women, girls, marginalized groups and gender non-conforming people - often include building on men’s own experiences with marginalization to inspire empathy. There is also growing recognition of the need to actively involve not only individual men, but households, communities and institutions in efforts to transform masculinities and address GBV. Strategies such as couples’ interventions, community mobilization and school-based approaches have potential to include women, men and all members of society more systematically in change processes.