Doing development with men: some reflections on a case study from Mali

In: IDS bulletin, Volume 37, Issue 6: Exploring power for change, p. 47-56

Abstract

In the development paradigm, men have generally been conceptualised as representing a putative and rational human norm, ignoring how pressures towards conformity to gender norms make them anything but rational. Conceptualising men as gendered beings with all the emotionality that implies, negates arguments for their superiority as leaders in politics and business. Through a description of an intervention in Mali around family size, this article shows how working with men in development as men - that is, as embodiments of masculinity - can be very powerful and produce greater impact than working with women alone, since they hold lesser power positions. Doing this through transformative educational methodologies can produce a shift in gendered power relations, especially if the development agents make a conscious attempt to mitigate power imbalances between themselves and the community. While women occupy powerful spaces within Malian society, this is largely unacknowledged or tacit, which hampers their ability to exercise their power fully. (IDS Bull/GIGA)