Masculinities, conflict, and peacebuilding: perspectives on men through a gender lens

all around the world, men are the primary perpetrators of violence, making up 95 per cent of people convicted of homicide, as well as being the majority of combatants in conflicts. Interrogating the reasons behind this trend, this report does not argue that men are naturally violent. Nonetheless, in most cultures, violence is associated with men and boys in a way that it is not associated with women and girls. These socially constructed notions of masculinity can play a role in driving conflict and insecurity. Where this is the case, Saferworld suggests that peacebuilding efforts can and should address this by taking steps to promote notions of masculinities which favour nonviolence and gender equality. A number of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have developed programming approaches for engaging men and boys to promote gender equality and non-violence, which have made demonstrable impacts on the lives of men and women. International donors, policymakers and NGOs should
consider how such approaches can be developed to help build peace.
 
The need to apply a gender perspective to all efforts to prevent conflict and build peace is increasingly recognised. Taking a ‘gender perspective’ is often assumed to mean highlighting the roles, needs and rights of women and girls – vital to addressing persistent gender inequalities in access to power, influence, resources and security. However, truly taking a ‘gender perspective’ also requires critical examination of the roles and experiences of men and boys in conflict prevention and peacebuilding.
 
Men continue to dominate the field of peace and security. Nonetheless, the attitudes, values and behaviours of men within society are rarely considered from a gender perspective. Greater political will and resources are urgently needed to advance the women, peace and security agenda; at the same time, the socially constructed gender roles and identities of men and boys must not be neglected. Work on violent masculinities thus needs to be considered as an additional, complementary stream of work that when undertaken can deepen and strengthen peacebuilding processes.
 
Past research has identified a range of ways in which patriarchal gender norms – and masculinities in particular – can drive conflict and insecurity. In South Sudan and Somalia, militarised notions of masculinity which valorise domination and violence have motivated men to participate in violence and women to support them or pressure them to do so. In Kosovo, political and military actors have valorised violent masculinities in order to recruit combatants and build support for war. In Uganda, studies have documented the use of violence to attain other symbols of manhood, such as wealth or access to women. Accounts from Colombia and Uganda suggest that when men feel unable to live up to societal expectations of masculinity, they may be more susceptible to recruitment into armed groups as well as more likely to commit violence in the home.