What if we’ve been missing half the solution? Men as allies in women’s empowerment

What if we've been missing half the solution? Men as allies in women's empowerment

These are facts we all know: Across different contexts, women and girls are less likely to enrol in Vocational Education and Training (VET). Even when they do, social norms often limit their access to the full range of training and career choices. Consequently, they tend to remain in professions that are less valued and less remunerated, with limited prospects for economic advancement. Once they finish VET trainings, many women and girls in countries of developing and emerging economies do not enter the world of work due to social expectations that assign them unpaid care responsibilities and restrict their mobility.

Though knowing these facts, what we often do not consider enough: This is not only a women's issue. Often, men feel equally helpless in challenging these norms, which at the same time put a high social pression on them to conform. Our experience shows: Once men are given the spaces to reflect about their own fears, expectations and vulnerabilities related to gender norms, their genuine willingness to support their women's empowerment unfolds. In some cases, they even become the driving force behind their wife's empowerment. Gender equality becomes a shared goal, rooted in shared interests, rather than being an issue that only affects women and a task solely assign to them.

To support this shift, Swisscontact has facilitated the creation of "masculinity groups and networks" in several countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Niger, and Benin. These initiatives avoid top-down models that impose gender equality measures based on women's needs only. Instead, they depart from local reflections on gender norms that affect both men and women, ask about what men need to support women's empowerment, and are embedded within project interventions and driven by local partners, which makes them both relevant and sustainable.

In the DRC, these masculinity groups - known as "écoles des maris" - offer men-only reflection sessions for husbands and male family members of women enrolled in VET programmes. These men have become champions in their communities: They actively speak out against gender-based violence, visit the female trainee's families to avoid abandonment from the vocational training, and they organise community forums with women's participation.

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The impact of these groups has been remarkable to everyone: Men describe a sense of relief after participating in the groups, realising how much they have gained in supporting their wives in entering the world of work. They recognise how their previous attitudes limited both their wives' potential and their family's overall development. Many now see how much potential in terms of collaboration, personal development and professional achievements both for themselves and their wives, lies ahead. They realise that mutual support and shared decision-making benefits everyone.

In one community, the group of men successfully advocated with an employer who intended to expel female graduates following a fire incident, convincing him to allow the women to continue their training. In doing so, they became strong advocates for the women, fully aware of how critical the completion of such training is for their future careers.

Their engagement came from intrinsic motivation: reflecting on their own fears, pressures, and vulnerabilities as men living in a patriarchal society opened up a mental space that allowed them to genuinely understand gender equality as a win-win situation.

As Biragi Balolebwami, who participated in the masculinity group, puts it: "At first, I didn't know that I could sit with my wife and discuss her professional life. She completed training in electricity, but I wouldn't encourage her to look for clients; instead, I tried to block every opportunity where she might find work. Now I understand that I was blocking my family's development and my wife's fulfillment. But thanks to this group, I have become the first to get involved and to encourage her to progress in her field. And I can already see the results: in our home we now live in an atmosphere of peace, mutual understanding, and respect."

How deep this transformation has become, shows another case: Pascaline Nsimire enrolled in hairdressing classes despite her husband's initial opposition. She persuaded him to join the masculinity group, and saw a gradual change. Today, he shares household chores, supports her business and engages in family decisions. This transformation reshaped their relationship and positioned him as a role model in the community.

These cases demonstrate: The strength and determination of these women, coupled with the willingness of these men to engage in self-reflection, pave the way for relationships characterised by equality and respect.

Swisscontact does not use a blueprint model for masculinity groups in different contexts. Instead, the approach is developed through local partners and tailored to the specific project and local context. This embedded, partner-led approach is what makes this initiative successful: it is not a stand-alone intervention, but a culturally grounded and community-owned process.