ABSTRACT
This chapter traces the emergence of a worldwide discussion of men and gender-equality reform and assesses the prospects of reform strategies involving men. It examines how men and boys have been understood, the politics of ‘men’s movements’, the divided interests of men and boys in gender relations, and the research evidence about the changing and conflict-ridden social construction of masculinities. Equality between women and men has been an international legal principle since the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and enjoys popular support in many countries. The idea that men might have a specific role in relation to this principle has only emerged recently. Gender equality was placed on the policy agenda by women. The reason is obvious: it is women who are disadvantaged by the main patterns of gender inequality and who therefore have the claim for redress. But men are necessarily involved.
