Now and Men

Men in Politics as Agents of Gender Equitable Change - Dr Ján Michalko (ALiGN)

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Episode notes

Although some exceptions exist, why do most men in politics avoid describing themselves and their politics as ‘feminist’? If they do support gender equality, why do they prefer instead to be called allies, advocates, or supporters? What does this mean in practice for what men politicians do to promote women’s rights, and address harmful masculine norms? How are they seen by feminist activists, women politicians, and young people? These are vital issues given the disproportionate power men in politics have to drive (or obstruct) change towards gender equality and preventing violence against women. They are discussed in a forthcoming report by Dr Ján Michalko for ODI, a global affairs think tank, drawing on case studies by research teams in Colombia, Liberia and Malaysia. 

We talk to Ján about the findings from this research, its implications for politicians, international donors, civil society, and researchers on how to engage with men in positions of power, and what such men can do to promote the transformation of unequal gender norms, in politics itself and wider society.

Ján is a Research Fellow in Gender Equality and Social Inclusion at ODI. His research interests are in gender inequalities, political engagement, masculinities, feminist foreign policy, and youth. His work includes supporting the digital ALiGN platform at ODI, which brings together global gender norms research and lessons for transformative change: https://www.alignplatform.org


Read the reports (more links will be added throughout May): 


Episode timeline:

  • Intro (00:00-02:20)
  • Why ALiGN wanted to research men in politics (02:20-05:35)
  • The political context in Colombia, Liberia and Malaysia (05:35-08:53)
  • Challenges of comparing across contexts (08:53-10:35)
  • Getting access to interview men in politics (10:35-14:02)
  • The reluctance of men politicians to take on the label ‘feminist’ (14:02-17:19)
  • Why actions speak louder than words (17:19-18:54)
  • The risk of high-profile men falling from grace (18:54-19:53)
  • Factors that shape the engagement of men politicians with gender equality (19:53-23:59)
  • Differences across political parties (23:59-26:23)
  • The role of the electoral cycle (26:23-28:40)
  • Break (28:40-28:46)
  • Focus groups with students and activists about their views on men politicians (28:46-32:44)
  • What we should prioritise in a time of anti-feminist backlash (32:44-35:55)
  • Barriers and enablers to progress for gender equality politics (35:55-38:15)
  • What actions men in politics can meaningfully undertake (38:15-40:17)
  • The influence they have on wider society (40:17-42:08)
  • Why men in politics are reluctant to reflect on masculinity (42:08-46:29)
  • Ján’s own story of how he got involved in this work (46:29-51:20)
  • Conclusion (Interactions with MPs Tony Benn and Peter Jackson; Men politicians’ motivations for supporting women’s rights over time; Pushes for the Australian government to address men’s violence against women; The impact women have on men; The risk of the political discourse moving backwards) (51:20-59:18)

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