Promoting Positive Masculinities to Address Violence Against Women: A Multicountry Concept Mapping Study

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Gender Studies
• Sociology

Background:

• Interventions engaging men are effective in reducing violence against women (VAW).
• Limited research exists on promoting positive masculinity among young adults to prevent VAW.
• This study addresses the gap by exploring multicountry strategies for promoting positive masculinities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify key multicountry strategies for promoting positive masculinities to improve gender equity and prevent VAW.
• To gather perspectives from young adults and stakeholders on effective anti-VAW strategies.
• To understand the perceived importance and applicability of these strategies.

Main Methods:

• Participatory mixed-method approach using concept mapping (2019-2021).
• Involved brainstorming via interviews and focus groups with young adults (n=105) and stakeholders (n=60).
• Online questionnaire for sorting and rating ideas (n=406), followed by multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis.

Main Results:

• Seven key strategies for promoting anti-VAW positive masculinities were identified.
• Top strategies include education, preventive activities, skills development, empathy, media engagement, policy, and organizational interventions.
• High agreement on strategy importance (r=0.96) but lower agreement on applicability (r=0.60) between young people and stakeholders.

Conclusions:

• Young people and stakeholders proposed seven comprehensive strategies to promote positive masculinity and reduce VAW.
• Discrepancies in perceived applicability suggest potential policy and implementation challenges.
• Multi-dimensional, multi-setting approaches are essential for effective prevention of VAW.