Effectiveness of a Gender Transformative Intervention to Reduce Adherence to Traditional Masculine Norms

Background and Purpose:

Violence against women and girls is currently at epidemic proportions. Developing skills and techniques to engage men as collaborators in the prevention of gender-based violence is critical to a safe and thriving society. There is a direct correlation between socialized masculine norms and gun violence, sexual assault, domestic abuse, homophobia, and bullying. When men adhere to rigid and limited notions of manhood, they are more likely to experience relationship problems, mental health symptoms, and substance abuse issues. Men socialized has been linked to multiple forms of interpersonal and community-based violence. This study explores how a particular Gender Transformative Intervention (GTI) attempts to reconfigure gender roles in the direction of more gender equitable relationships. The study seeks to understand the effectiveness of a brief, 2-hour, group-based GTI at decreasing adherence to traditional masculine norms in a sample of predominantly college age men. It was hypothesized that non-athletes, non-fraternity members, middle income participants, participants with low levels of religious involvement, and those identifying as anything other than straight would see greater decreases in masculine norms across multiple domains.

Methods / Results:

A causal experimental design was used with a sample of men (N = 183), consisting of majority white (89.6%), straight (98.9%), and middle-class backgrounds (69.4%). Higher SES backgrounds represented (25.7%) of the sample, while a smaller proportion came from lower class backgrounds, (4.9%). Eecruited through non-probability convenience sampling from two East Coast Universities. Participants engaged in a 2-hour gender transformative intervention where scores of nine masculine subscales were compared from both pre and post-tests of the conformity to masculine norms inventory (CMNI-46) to determine the effectiveness of the intervention. Analysis was conducted on population subtypes, athletes vs. non-athletes, fraternity members vs. non-fraternity members, level of religiosity, and level of familial income.

Results:

There was a statistically significant decreases in conformity to masculine norms for winning t (102) = 2.16, p = .033; emotional control t (93) = -3.21, p = .002; power over women t (107) = -2.34, p = .021; and self-reliance t (101) = -2.30, p = .024. This demonstrates promise for this intervention and for similar GTI’s aimed at changing gendered belief systems. ANOVA tests found that all moderating identity variables had no significant impact on any of the masculine subscales.

Conclusions/ Implications for practice and Research:

This research helps us understand how gender transformative interventions impact adherence to traditional masculine norms, which have been linked to interpersonal and intra-psychic violence of all forms. The presentation will discuss how engaging groups of men can impact their beliefs about manhood and their role in preventing gender-based violence. The function of this research is to better understand ways to engage men in the prevention of violence against women, girls, and the LGBTQ+ community. Engaging men to reduce hegemonic gender norms supports the work of equity through preparing social workers to engage men in both community and clinical settings that produce healthier interpersonal relationships and decrease the likelihood of gender-based violence.