UN Women engages men to challenge social norms and help achieve gender equality

UN Women recently organized workshops in Izmir and Adana, cities in western and southern Turkey, for male participants to help them understand traditional masculinities and discuss men and boys’ engagement for achieving gender equality. 

The first workshop, which was held in Izmir in partnership with the Metropolitan Municipality, was part of a long-term cooperation between UN Women and the municipality, aimed at advancing gender equality with the engagement of the male executives of the municipality. Mayor Tunç Soyer and executives of the municipality attended the workshop held on 8 February.

“Concepts attributed to masculinity such as bravery, honesty, strength, and being the head of the family are not ideas that we were born with. They correspond to gender roles that social life and conditions imposed on us. We must change our perspective and implement gender-equal practices. We believe that Izmir Metropolitan Municipality should lead this great change,” said Tunç Soyer, the Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality during his opening speech. 

“We develop and implement projects in the city with a gender equality perspective. These workshops are part of this initiative,” said Anıl Kaçar, Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Social Projects Department Head, who also participated in the workshop.

“We must fight together against gender-based norms and stereotypes. Behavioural change related to child, early and forced marriages, which are a type of violence against women, is possible with the change and transformation of gender perceptions. As UN Women, we value men and boys’ engagement in gender equality for this change and transformation,” said Zeliha Ünaldı, Programmes Manager, UN Women Turkey. 

The second workshop was organized with the Adana Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects. Participants came from 16 chambers of the union. The first day of the two-day workshop was held at ASKI Sports Hall on 12 March with a mixed group of participants, men and women, including the presidents, executives, and members of the 16 chambers. Adana Metropolitan Municipality Mayor, Zeydan Karalar, also visited the workshop, expressing the interest of Adana Metropolitan Municipality in gender equality and UN Women’s work in Turkey. The second day was held with an all-men group, including presidents of chambers, members, and engineering students.

“In cooperation with UN Women, we organized this workshop to change social norms and attitudes towards gender equality, and to discuss equality both in professional and in daily life,” said Ayten Dolançay, Chairperson of Women’s Commission at the Union.

Throughout the workshops, the importance of men and boys’ engagement in gender equality and how traditional masculinity perceptions and behaviours create inequality were discussed. Discussions on what can be done to encourage the men and boys of the municipality to adopt gender-sensitive roles were moderated by UN Women Consultant Murat Göç Bilgin.

“These workshops need to reach more people. We should provide these trainings at neighbourhoods and provincial districts,” said Erol Salman, former Secretary of the Union.

“It was a very useful training. We would like to attend and organize more trainings on gender equality and male engagement,” said Selahattin Menteş, President of Adana Chamber of Doctors.

“I have learned that gender roles are imposed on me. The workshop was very fruitful for me,” Özenç Özger, a mechanical engineering student, said.

The workshops were organized as part of the United Nations Joint Programme on Prevention of Child, Early and Forced Marriage in Turkey, funded by Sweden through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).