The promises and limitations of gender-transformative health programming with men: critical reflections from the field

TLDR

Since 1994, efforts have shifted men’s health programming from gender‑neutral to gender‑transformative, aiming to transform gender relations for better health outcomes for women and men. The study evaluates the conceptual evolution of social science contributions to gender‑transformative health programming with men and identifies challenges, limitations, and future directions. The authors briefly review empirical evidence from gender‑transformative health interventions targeting men. They highlight challenges and limitations of such programmes and recommend future work to advance the field.

Abstract

Since the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development, researchers and practitioners have engaged in a series of efforts to shift health programming with men from being gender-neutral to being more gender-sensitive and gender-transformative. Efforts in this latter category have been increasingly utilised, particularly in the last decade, and attempt to transform gender relations to be more equitable in the name of improved health outcomes for both women and men. We begin by assessing the conceptual progression of social science contributions to gender-transformative health programming with men. Next, we briefly assess the empirical evidence from gender-transformative health interventions with men. Finally, we examine some of the challenges and limitations of gender-transformative health programmes and make recommendations for future work in this thriving interdisciplinary area of study.