Men and Masculinities in the Primary Prevention of Gender-based Violence

Key policy, regulatory, and legislative opportunities to promote more positive and expansive forms of masculinity, and to engage men and boys in the primary prevention of gender-based violence. It is informed by extensive work in this area, including a national consultation in Australia in 2024, and draws on a robust evidence base.

Working with men and boys to address masculinities has been an important and growing component of primary prevention efforts for some time. There is a wide range of primary prevention work that includes and/​or is led by men and boys nationally, as well as key work focused on masculinities. Primary prevention work to date has generally focused less on the systems and institutional level of the socio-ecological model than on other levels, such as individual or societal. This brief focuses on the systems and institutional level, including potential policy, legislative and regulatory reform with actions that have the potential to support broadscale changes across the whole of society.

Who will find this resource useful? 

While this Policy Brief is primarily focused on supporting policy makers and regulators in Australia, it has insights that offer value internationally for:

• Policymakers and legislators working on gender equality and violence prevention.
• Organisations and practitioners engaged in primary prevention programs with men and boys.
• Researchers and academics interested in masculinities and their role in gender-based violence.
• Advocacy groups working to promote positive masculinities and end gender-based violence.
• Other leaders and stakeholders collaborating on building the evidence base for prevention.

About the Authors 

Our Watch is an Australian not-for-profit organisation working in the primary prevention of violence against women and their children in Australia. The organisation’s vision is for an Australia where women and their children live free from all forms of violence. They aim to support this vision by driving nation-wide change in the culture, behaviours, attitudes, social structures and systems that drive violence against women.

Find out more 

Our Watch recognises the important work being undertaken across Australia by a wide range of stakeholders as well as partner organisations who collaborate to build the evidence base on preventing gender-based violence. This brief is informed by this work and the existing evidence base, including the Men in focus evidence review, the Men in focus practice guide, the Jesuit Social Services Man Box 2024 report.

For more resources on preventing gender-based violence, click here.