This post was written by Kate Doyle, Senior Program and Research Officer with Promundo-US.

Women’s experiences of gender-based violence, as well as imbalances of power between men and women, have a profound impact on women’s ability to participate in agricultural systems, to make decisions about their businesses, and to control their earnings. Gender-transformative programs that work with men to challenge and transform inequitable gender norms have an enormous potential to contribute to women’s empowerment in agriculture.

We have also seen that men react in diverse ways to women’s participation in agriculture and other economic opportunities. They may behave in ways that are supportive, indifferent, or obstructive. Traditional gender norms that promote men’s roles as heads of household and economic providers can undermine women’s ability to fully benefit from participation in agricultural value chains by placing decision-making power in men’s hands — at home and at work. In addition, there is some evidence that a woman’s economic empowerment can sometimes increase her risk of experiencing violence. Programs aiming to empower women in agriculture must therefore be prepared to respond to gender-based violence with survivor-centered approaches — but they can also take critical steps to prevent it.

At Promundo, we have seen firsthand how creating spaces for critical reflection and dialogue can lead to real changes in women’s lives, and men’s. Our experience has shown that well-designed, locally tailored male engagement approaches can increase men’s support for women’s economic empowerment, reduce violence, and address other critical factors that undermine that empowerment, such as time poverty. A recent randomized controlled trial of one of Promundo’s programs with the Rwanda Men’s Resource Center demonstrated that a 15-session program, designed to promote men’s caregiving and healthier couple relations, led to a 40 percent reduction in women’s experiences of intimate partner violence, women’s increased participation in household financial decisions (including about their own earnings), and greater involvement of men in childcare and household tasks.

We have worked with partners in places like Bangladesh, Rwanda, and Zambia to design programs that engage men in support of women’s participation in economic development initiatives, such as village savings and loan associations and farmer field schools. In Zambia, for instance, this included developing a set of 12 facilitated group sessions for couples participating in Savings and Internal Lending Communities as part of a broader aquatic agricultural program led by World Fish. The sessions included activities to help men understand gender norms, reflect on their use of power in their relationships, and work together to support their partners’ participation in the savings groups.

This initiative, and others like it, takes a positive approach, viewing men as part of the solution. They create safe spaces for men to reflect on their own gendered attitudes and behaviors and to learn and practice new, more equitable behaviors. They emphasize the importance of couple communication, emphasize the benefits of sharing decision-making power, and encourage men to take on a fair share of the unpaid care work within the home.

Realizing transformation in the household and beyond

Men and boys must see themselves as allies in the process and understand the positive effects of shifting gender roles around earning power. By working with men and their partners to transform household gender and power dynamics, effective male engagement approaches can help make women’s empowerment in agriculture a reality.

It is essential that all of us commit to designing programs and initiatives that do not exist in isolation from individuals’ real lives, relationships, and community dynamics. When designing any initiative, consider how each action you might take could inadvertently reinforce gender stereotypes, or how it could have the capacity to contribute to increased conflict within a relationship or community.

Resources from Promundo and our partners, such as World Fish and Promundo’s practical guidance for considering gender in rural development initiatives, can provide a helpful base from which to build workshops or conversations to mitigate negative interpersonal consequences from the start, and to ensure any positive movement in agriculture or economic mobility comes with increased solidarity, support, and advancement toward gender equality more broadly.