From the moment we are born society tells us the roles, behaviors and attributes that are considered acceptable according to our gender. Those associated with maleness and considered appropriate for men are referred to as “masculinity”, while those associated with femaleness and considered appropriate for women are referred to as “femininity”.

“In all societies there are many ideas about masculinity and femininity that are harmful, not just to girls and women, but also to boys and men, as well as people of other gender identities”. This is the premise of the Self-Learning Booklet: Masculinities and Violence against Women and Girls developed by the UN Women Training Centre. The booklet was developed as the result of a series of training courses that aim to strengthen capacities of development practitioners and advocates to understand, integrate and address critical gender issues in their lives and work. This tool aims to assist both UN and non-UN staff to better understand the issues of masculinities in relation to violence against women and girls.

This didactic booklet for beginners provides four chapters:

- Chapter 1: Masculinity Matters
- Chapter 2: Learning to be Men
- Chapter 3: Masculinities and Violence against Women and Girls
- Chapter 4: From Patriarchal Masculinities to Transformative Masculinities

The Booklet provides a wide variety of examples on the harmful ideas of masculinities and femininity, as well as practice quizzes aimed at increasing knowledge and causing reflection.

Click here to download the Self-Learning Booklet: Masculinities and Violence against Women and Girls. To learn more about specific trainings available on the topic of Masculinities and Violence Against Women and Girls, browse our catalogue.