MenCare+ is an international network of civil society organisations partnered together with the aim of promoting a culture of equal, non-violent and positive parenting among men. It is linked to the broader MenCare global campaign co-coordinated by Sonke and Promundo-US. The mission of MenCare+ is to get men and boys to challenge harmful gender norms by delivering education and group counselling on gender equality, sexual and reproductive health and rights, maternal health and childcare. With funds from the Dutch Foreign Ministry and as part of a global partnership with RutgersWPF and Promundo-US, Sonke Gender Justice and Mosaic coordinated MenCare+ activities in the Western Cape from 2012 to 2015.
Focusing on data gathered from three communities in the Western Cape – Mitchells Plain, Gugulethu and Khayelitsha – the 2016 report provides an in-depth analysis of how effective their interventions have been in getting young men to question their preconceived attitudes towards gender norms and their differing social expectations for men and women.
Findings outlined in the report indicate that interventions conducted in these communities have had a strong impact on the attitudes amongst programme participants. Young men who take part in the MenCare+ sessions consistently improvde their scores on the Gender Equitable Attitudes (GEA) scale – with positive shifts in attitudes towards contraceptives, fatherhood and family planning.
Many who attended the sessions have expressed a desire to see the programme expand within their communities – and to include younger boys and women – so as to improve the programme’s long-term effects and help both men and women foster a better understanding of the opposite genders’ views, needs and opinions.
The full outcomes report can be downloaded here.
