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Handbook and toolkits
A free resource supporting local governments to prevent violence against women in their workplaces and communities.
We know that 95% of violence perpetrated against people of any gender is perpetrated by men.
While not all men perpetrate violence, all men can play an active role in challenging and transforming the patriarchal structures, norms and practices that uphold gender inequality and drive violence against women.
There is no one way of being a man or expressing masculinity. However, some expressions and representations of masculinity can be understood as socially dominant.
Research shows that men’s belief in and adherence to rigid, socially dominant masculine stereotypes is linked to a higher likelihood they will:
Socially dominant forms of masculinity operate across all levels of society. While these forms of masculinity are not always harmful (or ‘toxic’) in themselves, they can help to maintain gender inequality and create and give legitimacy to the power and privilege that men hold over women. At their most harmful, these dominant forms of masculinity also help drive men’s violence against women.
It’s important to remember that men’s relationship to power is not the same and men can experience both privilege and oppression at the same time. When working with men, male privilege and entitlement needs to be addressed in a way that does not treat all men as part of the same group.
All men can act to challenge and transform harmful expressions of masculinity that emphasise aggression, dominance and control over women.
The Working Together with Men resource from HealthWest Partnership is a guide to creating projects that work with men to prevent violence against women in their communities.
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Men in focus from Our Watch is an extensive evidence review about links between dominant forms of masculinity and violence against women.
A summary of the Men in Focus report, which reviews the evidence about links between dominant forms of masculinity and violence against women.
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This report by White Ribbon explores the key issues in working with men from immigrant and refugee communities in Australia to prevent violence against women.
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The Doing Nothing Does Harm campaign aims to motivate people to do something when they see or hear disrespect towards women.
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The No Excuse for Abuse campaign aims to raise awareness of non-physical abuse against women.