Redefining Masculinities

Launched November 19th, 2021.

Redefining Masculinities is an initiative by Life in Leggings: Caribbean Alliance Against Gender-based Violence which seeks to create a gender-just region by transforming Caribbean Masculinities and involving men and boys in the fight to end gender-based violence.

Redefining Masculinities is a gender-transformative approach that seeks to end gender-based violence by cultivating healthy relationships of men with women, children, other men, gender-nonconforming people and themselves, by interrogating toxic and hyper-masculinity in the Caribbean and developing positive and non-oppressive expressions of masculinity. The overall aim is to create allyship through interrogating patriarchy and its impact on men’s lives and further consider how this connects with gender-based violence by engaging with Caribbean gender and feminist scholarship that explores and centers gender, Caribbean masculinities and its implications for violence against women and girls.

The initiative recognises that promoting gender justice is a critical objective of the work the women’s movement in the region is doing, especially as part of ending violence and harmful social and religious practices on women and girls. It also acknowledges that the onus cannot be placed on women and girls alone to challenge women’s oppression, sexism and binary gender injustice and thus men and boys must join the fight recognizing that this includes an ongoing commitment to examining their interactions, thought processes, and themselves as part of the larger culture. And it is with this in mind, that the initiative seeks to involve men and boys in the building of a gender-just society by taking pro-feminist action against gender inequalities which increase the risk of violence by men against women, children, other men, gender non-conforming people and themselves.

The objectives of the initiative are:

• The aim is for men to become active participants in the learning, unlearning, and knowledge sharing process to create a more gender-just society free from gender norms.
• To cultivate healthy and non-oppressive gender relations of men with women, men and gender non-conforming people.
• To challenge harmful stereotypes, gender norms and attitudes that promote gender inequality.
• To sensitize men and boys about issues that affect men, women and children as well as other intersecting social issues.
• To provide a platform for men and boys to be able to learn firsthand about how they can become more involved in ending gender-based violence and other gender inequalities.
• To have frequent public forums and media engagements to facilitate education of the public.