This paper discusses the process and progress of the men and masculinities stream of work at IDS, supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). This stream of work had the following objectives:
- Narrative: To challenge the discursive framing of both “men” and “masculinities” within development policy and programming that hinders progress toward gender justice.
• Analysis: To improve understandings of masculinities as they shape the “structures of constraint” that limit the achievement of gender justice and of strategies to address masculinities that can bring about and sustain change within these “structures of constraint.”
• Alliance: To strengthen networking and alliance-building between actors within the men and masculinities field and organisations working on issues of gender justice and sexual rights in different policy arenas, to become more effective in influencing global and local policy processes.
The paper reflects on challenges faced and lessons learned, and includes stories of influence produced by partners within the work stream, distilling key moments from the process of linking local voices to global policy arenas.