Equality : men are part of the solution.
Imagine a world in which all people live with dignity, equality, and justice. In that world, we are unconstrained by limiting, damaging norms dictating “the” way to be a man or a woman. In that world, we are all safe in our homes and limitless in our potential. We can build that world by building a critical mass of men who challenge gender norms, stand for gender equality, and work to make violence against women and girls unacceptable.
Deeply ingrained cultural beliefs and practices maintain the inferior status of women and lead to gender-based discrimination and violence. They exact a steep price from families, communities, and societies in terms of lost human potential. The more men take action for culture change, even in their spheres and among their peers, the sooner we realize equality—together.
Now is the time.
Men’s activism for gender equality is not new. But now more than ever, men and women from Delhi to Dallas are realizing their responsibility and power to end violence and discrimination against women—and standing together to do it. Awareness and momentum, among civil society, government, the media, and more, have never been stronger: in the U.S., in India, around the world. We are beginning to transform the rigid gender norms that hold us all back. We are starting to shift gender equality from “women’s issue” to shared vision. Seize this moment together and there’s no going back.
Ending violence and realizing equality require deep culture change.
Preventing violence against women—domestic violence, sexual assault, street harassment, early marriage, and more—requires us to address the deepest roots of the culture that enables it. This approach requires everyone. Breakthrough’s more than 15 years of research and interventions, designed to innovate and inspire concrete action for culture change and human rights, yield the following recommendations for engaging men as changemakers.
