The Necessity of Engaging Men an Implementation Sciences approach to Women s Empowerment

Abstract

In this dissertation, I hope to bring to light the importance of engaging men in the women s empowerment process during a gender equality intervention. Evidence from three studies is combined with a theoretical exploration into the social dynamics behind gender inequality, looking specifically into the role that men play and how to better strategize interventions to avoid male newlineresistance. To study this phenomenon and better understand just how significant it is, a four-part dissertation was created. These four parts are as follows: newline1. Philosophical or logical argument. newline2. Quantitative study of the interaction between levels of family and male support and awoman s success in a women s empowerment project. newline3. Qualitative study (descriptive phenomenology) of the experience of men whose wives successfully completed a women s empowerment project. newline4. A national roadmap for how men could be successfully engaged in women s empowerment newlineinterventions in the Indian context. Understanding the Indian context is paramount, newlineincluding a deeper exploration into the roots of cultural norms in religion, global newlineinfluences, policies, economics, and existing efforts to promote gender equality. newlineThese four components are meant to provide a well-rounded and deep enquiry into the phenomena in question. The philosophical foundations and logical arguments prove that this is an important issue with significance and relevance to the overall problem of gender inequality. The quantitative newlinestudy grounds the overall research with a specific context and provides real-world evidence for the role of men in women s empowerment. The qualitative exploration is an opportunity to understand the experience of men who are witnessing women s empowerment within their own homes, and trying to find thematic principles that can explain why and how a man might learn to support women s empowerment (WE). Finally, as this dissertation is under the Implementation Sciences banner, there must be a practical and applied deliverable, and so a national roadmap....