Why do most men in politics avoid describing themselves and their politics as ‘feminist’? If they do support gender equality, why do they prefer instead to be called allies, advocates or supporters? What does this mean in practice for what men politicians do to promote women’s rights, and address harmful masculine norms? How are they seen by feminist activists, women politicians and young people? These are vital issues given the power men in politics have to drive (or obstruct) change towards gender equality and preventing violence against women. They are discussed in a report by Dr Ján Michalko for ODI, a global affairs think tank, drawing on case studies by research teams in Colombia, Liberia and Malaysia. 

We talk to Ján about the findings from the research, its implications for politicians, international donors, civil society and researchers on how to engage with men in positions of power, and what such men can do to promote the transformation of unequal gender norms, in politics and in wider society.

Ján is a Research Fellow in Gender Equality and Social Inclusion at ODI. His research interests are in gender inequalities, political engagement, masculinities, feminist foreign policy, and youth. His work includes supporting the digital ALiGN platform at ODI, which brings together global gender norms research and lessons for transformative change: https://www.alignplatform.org

• Follow Ján on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ján-michalko-phd-54719251
• Twitter: https://x.com/MichalkoJan
• Follow ALiGN on Twitter: https://x.com/ALIGN_Gender
• ODI website: https://odi.org/en/

Read the full research series, including the cross-country analysis and in-depth country reports: https://www.alignplatform.org/research-series-men-politics-agents-gender-equitable-change

Episode timeline:

• Intro (00:00-02:20)
• Why ALiGN wanted to research men in politics (02:20-05:35)
• The political context in Colombia, Liberia & Malaysia (05:35-08:53)
• Challenges of comparing across contexts (08:53-10:35)
• Interviewing men in politics (10:35-14:02)
• The reluctance of men politicians to take on the label ‘feminist’ (14:02-17:19)
• Actions speak louder than words (17:19-18:54)
• The risk of falls from grace (18:54-19:53)
• Factors shaping men politicians' engagement with gender equality (19:53-23:59)
• Differences across political parties (23:59-26:23)
• The electoral cycle (26:23-28:40)
• Break (28:40-28:46)
• Focus groups with students & activists about their views on men politicians (28:46-32:44)
• Anti-feminist backlash (32:44-35:55)
• Barriers & enablers to progress for gender equality politics (35:55-38:15)
• What actions men in politics can take (38:15-40:17)
• The influence they have on wider society (40:17-42:08)
• Their reluctance to reflect on masculinity (42:08-46:29)
• Ján’s own story of how he got involved in this work (46:29-51:20)
• Conclusion (Interactions with MPs Tony Benn & Peter Jackson; Men politicians’ motivations for supporting women’s rights over time; Pushes for the Australian govt to address violence against women; The impact women have on men; The risk of the political discourse moving backwards) (51:20-59:18)

Explainers:

• George Weah ‘Declares himself 'Liberia's Feminist-In-Chief' - https://www.sheroesforum.com/d/5/38/982/Pres.-Weah-Declares-Himself-'Liberia's-Feminist-In-Chief';-Recommits-To-Women's-Cause
• ‘Will Gustavo Petro live up to his promises to Colombia’s women?’:https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/6/21/will-gustavo-petro-live-up-to-his-promises-to-colombias-women
• Malaysia’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah, called for a feminist foreign policy in 2020: https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnists/2022/09/827413/feminist-foreign-policy-about-inclusiveness-decision-making
• Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (former president of Liberia): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_Johnson_Sirleaf
• Rainbow Murray & Elin Bjarnegård, ‘Bringing men & masculinities into political science’ - https://doi.org/10.1332/251510823X16920325768482