PROMOTING GENDER EQUALITY

"Men who take their share of the responsibility for housework and family care are paving the way for women to participate on equal terms with men in economic, political and social life outside the home." - Women's Studies Institute of China


FACTS

The gender norm of a strong, dominant, and invulnerable male is detrimental for men’s health. Men do no seek health information and service and do not ask for help because it is viewed as a sign of weakness.

Male prevention can help to stop the spread of STIs/HIV. Recent research has proven that adult male circumcision reduces the risk of female to male HIV transmission by more than 50 percent.

Gender-based violence is a major contributor to the spread of HIV and STIs. Some men may feel entitled to beat female partners who raise the issue of family planning or HIV prevention.

Many men feel it is their right to refuse to use contraception, to allow their female partners to use it, or even to discuss family planning. The consequences are unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortion, and maternal death or disability.

Women receive the bulk of reproductive health education, but gender dynamics mean they can be powerless to make decisions. Men often hold decision-making power over matters as basic as sexual relations, but most reproductive health programs focus exclusively on women.

Gender equality is a human right.

Women have the right to live in dignity and freedom from want and from fear.

Empowering women is a tool for advancement, development, and reducing poverty.

Global prosperity and peace w ill only be achieved once women are empowered and included in the economic situation

Empowered women contribute to the health and productivity of whole families and communities.

AN ORGANIZATION WORKING FOR CHANGE

Men As Partners® (MAP) program was established by EnGender Health in 1996. This program works with men to play constructive roles in promoting gender equity and health in their families and communities.

How MAP Works
The MAP program uses many approaches to address gender inequalities, including:

• Holding interactive, skills-building workshops that confront harmful stereotypes of what it means to be a man
  
  
• Enhancing health care facilities’ capacity to provide men with quality care by training health care professionals to offer male-friendly services
  
  
• Leading local and national public education campaigns, using murals, street theater, rallies, and media, which explore the theme of partnership
  
  
• Building national and international advocacy networks to create a global movement
  
  

To date, EngenderHealth has developed Men As Partners programs in over 15 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the United States.

WEBSITES WE LIKE

http://www.unicef.org/mdg/gender.html

http://www.unfpa.org/gender/

ONE MAN'S STORY

Manoj is 25 years old and HIV-positive. EngenderHealth helped him gain new insights about being a man. Now he counsels other men about taking responsibility and is forging his own path in life.
I learned that I was HIV-positive when I donated blood for a friend’s operation. At first I couldn’t talk to anyone. I wanted to kill myself. But at the hospital a counselor told me, “You have one chance to live this life, and you can live it as much as you want.” She took a great burden off of my heart. I later became a counselor with the Gujarat Network of Positive People (GSNP+) because I wanted to help others like she had helped me.
Through my experience as a counselor, I’ve learned the importance of working with men. A man can talk to his family and make a message clear to them because he is seen as the leader and the decision maker. And men need to know that they are not alone in the problems that they face. So when EngenderHealth partnered with the GSNP+ to bring their Men As Partners® (MAP) program to Gujarat last year, I was eager to participate.
I have attended several MAP trainings and workshops. They are conducted in a very understandable way, and the topics and examples are relevant to our everyday lives. It helped me to start thinking more carefully about my everyday behavior. For example, I used to automatically ask my sister to get me water. Why shouldn’t I be the one to bring her water?
The MAP trainings also make me a better counselor. I learned practical information about positive and healthy living that I can share with my clients. Now I find it easier to talk to men about sex and about how you can be a man without engaging in risky behaviors, like having multiple partners. I tell my male clients that it is our responsibility to wear condoms and prevent spreading the virus. Taking responsibility, that is an important lesson that I’ve learned from MAP. When I talk to my male clients about MAP, one of the first things I tell them is that as men we can help improve the health of our families, friends, and community, and that is why they should join the program.
The MAP program has also helped me to make important personal decisions. I have a girlfriend; she is also HIV-positive and a counselor. She is a widow and has a 6-year-old son. Before, I could not see a future for us because of society’s prejudice against widows and second marriages. But I learned that these ideas are simply creations of society, and I do not have to adhere to them. My girlfriend’s son is now my son, and we are hoping to get married. I am following my heart, thanks to MAP.
I also decided to tell my family that I am HIV-positive, after years of hiding it from them. Like many others who are living with HIV, I was afraid. Recently I invited them to a World AIDS Day MAP event, where I spoke about living with HIV. My family was crying, but I knew that it was because they were proud of me. My family is so supportive, and when they see me working passionately for something that I care about, that is enough for them.