Changing men's behaviour can improve women's health

The report, Engaging men and boys in changing gender-based inequity in health, found that almost a third of the 58 programmes evaluated were successful in encouraging men to end violence against women, to care for their pregnant wives and children, and to take steps to prevent infecting their partners with HIV or becoming infected themselves. Such changes in men’s behaviour prove to benefit not only women, but also boys, men and the community at large. “

Gender [behaviour] transformation allowing women and men to discuss and decide on health, when that may not typically be the case, is the gold standard,” said Dr Peju Olukoya, Integrating Gender into Public Health unit coordinator at the launch of the WHO report. Unequal power relations between the sexes affect women’s health, she said: “In some places women cannot even seek health care unless they get permission from a man.”

The report Engaging men and boys in changing gender-based inequity in health can be downloaded in pdf version here.

Brief presentation of the report in the WHO Bulletin.

A global network of organizations working with men to change men is now being established; MenEngage. More information here at their web site.

AIDS Portal on the topic of Men and Masculinities.