This research provides a preliminary evidence base to understand the extent to which violent extr... more This research provides a preliminary evidence base to understand the extent to which violent extremist narratives have a wider resonance with men in Victoria, Australia. It identifies key sites and points at which the construction of masculinity in men intersect with, and challenge, extremist conceptions. It consequently provides an insight into where the potential appeal of extremist narratives can be challenged most effectively.
This report examines the role of workplaces, and men in workplaces in particular, in preventing m... more This report examines the role of workplaces, and men in workplaces in particular, in preventing men's violence against women. The report begins by noting that men's violence against women is a widespread social problem which requires urgent action. It highlights the need for preventative measures oriented to changing the social and structural conditions at the root of this violence, including through settings such as workplaces. Men's violence against women is a workplace issue. As well as being a blunt infringement of women's rights, this violence imposes very substantial health and economic costs on workplaces and organisations.
This report examines how violence against women specifically affects children and young people. I... more This report examines how violence against women specifically affects children and young people. It looks at the nature of violence they experience in their homes and their own relationships, its impacts, and the priorities for action if efforts to prevent violence among, and protect, young people are to be successful.It is widely recognised that violence against women is a significant problem affecting as many as one in three women in Australia. This widespread violence has impacts more widely on families and communities throughout our society.
This paper was prepared as part of the Violence Against Women Community Attitudes Project. The pr... more This paper was prepared as part of the Violence Against Women Community Attitudes Project. The project is one of a program of mental health promotion activities being undertaken by the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation to address violence against women. Violence against women is a prevalent problem with serious consequences for women's health. Intimate Partner Violence alone contributes 9% to the total disease burden in women aged 15-44 years and 60% of this is contributed by associated mental health problems. The Violence Against Women Community Attitudes Project is being undertaken to gain a better understanding of community attitudes as a factor contributing to this problem.
Men's violence against women can be reduced and prevented. Individuals can act to lessen viol... more Men's violence against women can be reduced and prevented. Individuals can act to lessen violence in their own lives and the lives of those around them, organisations and communities can work to build gender‑equal relations between women and men, and governments can take action to shift the structural and cultural underpinnings of men's violence against women.
This report is intended to advance violence prevention efforts in schools in Victoria and around ... more This report is intended to advance violence prevention efforts in schools in Victoria and around Australia. The report is designed to achieve the following goals: • to map the violence prevention, intervention and respectful relationships programs that are currently running in Victorian government secondary schools • to identify and explore best practice in violence prevention, intervention and respectful relationships education in schools in Victoria and elsewhere • to inform the development and implementation of violence prevention and respectful relationships policy and programming in Victoria • to increase DEECD's ability to respond more effectively to queries from other government departments, the media and the general public regarding the role of schools in violence prevention and the promotion of respectful relationships. The report focuses in particular on the prevention of forms of violence that occur in intimate and family relationships, including physical or sexual vi...
Engaging Men and Boys in Violence Prevention, 2018
This chapter argues that engaging men and boys is part of the solution to men’s violence against ... more This chapter argues that engaging men and boys is part of the solution to men’s violence against women. It identifies a compelling rationale for addressing men in ending violence against women: it is largely men who perpetrate this violence, constructions of masculinity play a crucial role in shaping violence against women, and more hopefully, men and boys have a positive role to play in helping to stop violence against women. There are also tensions and critiques regarding this rationale. Flood examines four areas of debate: accountability, imperatives for male inclusion in prevention work, the oft-made claim that ‘most men do not use violence’, and the widespread appeal to how men will benefit from progress towards non-violence and gender equality.
Work with men has demonstrated signifi cant potential in contributing to building gender equality... more Work with men has demonstrated signifi cant potential in contributing to building gender equality and improving the health of women and men. However, most work with men has tended to be local in scale and limited in scope. To be more widely effective – that is to transform the pervasive gender inequalities that characterize many societies globally – efforts to transform men's behaviour need to be significantly scaled up. Policy processes and mechanisms are key elements in any effort to engage men and boys in achieving gender equality.
The statement that women routinely make up allegations of domestic violence to gain advantage in ... more The statement that women routinely make up allegations of domestic violence to gain advantage in family law cases and use protection orders to remove men from their homes or deny contact with children. is investigated. The actual facts regarding the myth are presented
Masculine Power and Gender Equality: Masculinities as Change Agents, 2020
What role do men have in the work of challenging gender inequalities and building gender justice?... more What role do men have in the work of challenging gender inequalities and building gender justice? This chapter examines the experiences of men as deliberate agents of a feminist masculinity politics, exploring key challenges in men’s efforts to take up profeminism. This first challenge is overcoming one’s own sexist and violence-supportive attitudes and behaviours. Men may be disinterested in or resistant to efforts to involve them in progressive change because of widespread sexist and violence-supportive attitudes and relations. Second is the challenge of addressing one’s own perpetration or perpetuation of sexism and violence. It is tempting and comforting for men to believe that the perpetrators are only ‘other’ men, or indeed to offer the defensive protest that it is ‘not all men’. A third challenge is to live gender-equitably. Men’s anti-sexist work takes for granted a ‘prefigurative’ politics, in which men must ‘be the change you wish to see in the world’, but male allies’ and advocates’ actual practice shows both anti-patriarchal change and sexist complicity. The fourth challenge is to resist everyday privilege. Men are routinely invited into everyday sexism, whether by male peers or the wider culture, and sexist gender relations also shape ostensibly progressive political spaces. Profeminist men must navigate what is a delicate politics of male allyship, negotiating both disproportionate praise and feminist distrust. Beyond all this, there is the overarching challenge of making change in the structures and systems of patriarchy.
Violence perpetrated by and against men and boys is a major public health problem. Although indiv... more Violence perpetrated by and against men and boys is a major public health problem. Although individual men’s use of violence differs, engagement of all men and boys in action to prevent violence against women and girls is essential. We discuss why this engagement approach is theoretically important and how prevention interventions have developed from treating men simply as perpetrators of violence against women and girls or as allies of women in its prevention, to approaches that seek to transform the relations, social norms, and systems that sustain gender inequality and violence. We review evidence of intervention effectiveness in the reduction of violence or its risk factors, features commonly seen in more effective interventions, and how strong evidence-based interventions can be developed with more robust use of theory. Future interventions should emphasise work with both men and boys and women and girls to change social norms on gender relations, and need to appropriately acco...
This research provides a preliminary evidence base to understand the extent to which violent extr... more This research provides a preliminary evidence base to understand the extent to which violent extremist narratives have a wider resonance with men in Victoria, Australia. It identifies key sites and points at which the construction of masculinity in men intersect with, and challenge, extremist conceptions. It consequently provides an insight into where the potential appeal of extremist narratives can be challenged most effectively.
This report examines the role of workplaces, and men in workplaces in particular, in preventing m... more This report examines the role of workplaces, and men in workplaces in particular, in preventing men's violence against women. The report begins by noting that men's violence against women is a widespread social problem which requires urgent action. It highlights the need for preventative measures oriented to changing the social and structural conditions at the root of this violence, including through settings such as workplaces. Men's violence against women is a workplace issue. As well as being a blunt infringement of women's rights, this violence imposes very substantial health and economic costs on workplaces and organisations.
This report examines how violence against women specifically affects children and young people. I... more This report examines how violence against women specifically affects children and young people. It looks at the nature of violence they experience in their homes and their own relationships, its impacts, and the priorities for action if efforts to prevent violence among, and protect, young people are to be successful.It is widely recognised that violence against women is a significant problem affecting as many as one in three women in Australia. This widespread violence has impacts more widely on families and communities throughout our society.
This paper was prepared as part of the Violence Against Women Community Attitudes Project. The pr... more This paper was prepared as part of the Violence Against Women Community Attitudes Project. The project is one of a program of mental health promotion activities being undertaken by the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation to address violence against women. Violence against women is a prevalent problem with serious consequences for women's health. Intimate Partner Violence alone contributes 9% to the total disease burden in women aged 15-44 years and 60% of this is contributed by associated mental health problems. The Violence Against Women Community Attitudes Project is being undertaken to gain a better understanding of community attitudes as a factor contributing to this problem.
Men's violence against women can be reduced and prevented. Individuals can act to lessen viol... more Men's violence against women can be reduced and prevented. Individuals can act to lessen violence in their own lives and the lives of those around them, organisations and communities can work to build gender‑equal relations between women and men, and governments can take action to shift the structural and cultural underpinnings of men's violence against women.
This report is intended to advance violence prevention efforts in schools in Victoria and around ... more This report is intended to advance violence prevention efforts in schools in Victoria and around Australia. The report is designed to achieve the following goals: • to map the violence prevention, intervention and respectful relationships programs that are currently running in Victorian government secondary schools • to identify and explore best practice in violence prevention, intervention and respectful relationships education in schools in Victoria and elsewhere • to inform the development and implementation of violence prevention and respectful relationships policy and programming in Victoria • to increase DEECD's ability to respond more effectively to queries from other government departments, the media and the general public regarding the role of schools in violence prevention and the promotion of respectful relationships. The report focuses in particular on the prevention of forms of violence that occur in intimate and family relationships, including physical or sexual vi...
Engaging Men and Boys in Violence Prevention, 2018
This chapter argues that engaging men and boys is part of the solution to men’s violence against ... more This chapter argues that engaging men and boys is part of the solution to men’s violence against women. It identifies a compelling rationale for addressing men in ending violence against women: it is largely men who perpetrate this violence, constructions of masculinity play a crucial role in shaping violence against women, and more hopefully, men and boys have a positive role to play in helping to stop violence against women. There are also tensions and critiques regarding this rationale. Flood examines four areas of debate: accountability, imperatives for male inclusion in prevention work, the oft-made claim that ‘most men do not use violence’, and the widespread appeal to how men will benefit from progress towards non-violence and gender equality.
Work with men has demonstrated signifi cant potential in contributing to building gender equality... more Work with men has demonstrated signifi cant potential in contributing to building gender equality and improving the health of women and men. However, most work with men has tended to be local in scale and limited in scope. To be more widely effective – that is to transform the pervasive gender inequalities that characterize many societies globally – efforts to transform men's behaviour need to be significantly scaled up. Policy processes and mechanisms are key elements in any effort to engage men and boys in achieving gender equality.
The statement that women routinely make up allegations of domestic violence to gain advantage in ... more The statement that women routinely make up allegations of domestic violence to gain advantage in family law cases and use protection orders to remove men from their homes or deny contact with children. is investigated. The actual facts regarding the myth are presented
Masculine Power and Gender Equality: Masculinities as Change Agents, 2020
What role do men have in the work of challenging gender inequalities and building gender justice?... more What role do men have in the work of challenging gender inequalities and building gender justice? This chapter examines the experiences of men as deliberate agents of a feminist masculinity politics, exploring key challenges in men’s efforts to take up profeminism. This first challenge is overcoming one’s own sexist and violence-supportive attitudes and behaviours. Men may be disinterested in or resistant to efforts to involve them in progressive change because of widespread sexist and violence-supportive attitudes and relations. Second is the challenge of addressing one’s own perpetration or perpetuation of sexism and violence. It is tempting and comforting for men to believe that the perpetrators are only ‘other’ men, or indeed to offer the defensive protest that it is ‘not all men’. A third challenge is to live gender-equitably. Men’s anti-sexist work takes for granted a ‘prefigurative’ politics, in which men must ‘be the change you wish to see in the world’, but male allies’ and advocates’ actual practice shows both anti-patriarchal change and sexist complicity. The fourth challenge is to resist everyday privilege. Men are routinely invited into everyday sexism, whether by male peers or the wider culture, and sexist gender relations also shape ostensibly progressive political spaces. Profeminist men must navigate what is a delicate politics of male allyship, negotiating both disproportionate praise and feminist distrust. Beyond all this, there is the overarching challenge of making change in the structures and systems of patriarchy.
Violence perpetrated by and against men and boys is a major public health problem. Although indiv... more Violence perpetrated by and against men and boys is a major public health problem. Although individual men’s use of violence differs, engagement of all men and boys in action to prevent violence against women and girls is essential. We discuss why this engagement approach is theoretically important and how prevention interventions have developed from treating men simply as perpetrators of violence against women and girls or as allies of women in its prevention, to approaches that seek to transform the relations, social norms, and systems that sustain gender inequality and violence. We review evidence of intervention effectiveness in the reduction of violence or its risk factors, features commonly seen in more effective interventions, and how strong evidence-based interventions can be developed with more robust use of theory. Future interventions should emphasise work with both men and boys and women and girls to change social norms on gender relations, and need to appropriately acco...
This research provides a preliminary evidence base to understand the extent to which violent extr... more This research provides a preliminary evidence base to understand the extent to which violent extremist narratives have a wider resonance with men in Victoria, Australia. It identifies key sites and points at which the construction of masculinity in men intersect with, and challenge, extremist conceptions. It consequently provides an insight into where the potential appeal of extremist narratives can be challenged most effectively.
Report to the Victorian Department of Justice and Community Safety (2020). This does not reflect Victorian Government views.
Across the globe, violence prevention initiatives focused on men and boys are proliferating rapid... more Across the globe, violence prevention initiatives focused on men and boys are proliferating rapidly. Engaging Men and Boys in Violence Prevention highlights effective and innovative strategies for the primary prevention of domestic violence, sexual violence, and other forms of harassment and abuse. It combines research on gender, masculinities, and violence with case studies from a wide variety of countries and settings. Through the cross-disciplinary examination of these varied efforts, this work will enable advocates, educators, and policy-makers to understand, assess, and implement programs and strategies which involve men and boys in initiatives to prevent violence against women.
Citation: Flood, M. (2018). Engaging Men and Boys in Violence Prevention. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Resistance to efforts to advance gender equality is a common feature of social life, whether in w... more Resistance to efforts to advance gender equality is a common feature of social life, whether in workplaces and other organisations or elsewhere. In this article, we review the typical character, dynamics of and contexts for resistance to gender equality measures. Resistance is an inevitable, although undesirable, response to efforts at progressive social change. Backlash and resistance to gender equality take common forms including: denial of the problem, dis-avowal of responsibility, inaction, appeasement, co-option and repression. Resistance may be individual or collective, formal or informal. Pushback against gender equality measures comes more often from members of the privileged group (men) than the disadvantaged group (women). Resistance is a predictable expression of the defence of institu-tionalised privilege, but it is also shaped by widespread discourses on "sex roles" and "post-feminism," the methods adopted to advance gender equality and the contexts in which they take place. Understanding the character and dynamics of resistance and backlash is vital for preventing and reducing them. K E Y W O R D S backlash, feminism, gender, masculinity, privilege 1 | INTRODUCTION Efforts to make progress toward gender inequality and end men's violence against women typically meet resistance, both individual and collective, formal and informal. Backlash-resistance against progressive social change-is a common feature of the social world. When patterns of inequality and injustice shift, individuals and groups, particularly those advantaged by the status quo, resist. In this article, we explore the character and origins of resistance and backlash to
Resistance to efforts to advance gender equality is a common feature of social life, whether in w... more Resistance to efforts to advance gender equality is a common feature of social life, whether in workplaces and other organisations or elsewhere. In this article, we review the typical character, dynamics of and contexts for resistance to gender equality measures. Resistance is an inevitable, although undesirable, response to efforts at progressive social change. Backlash and resistance to gender equality take common forms including: denial of the problem, disavowal of responsibility, inaction, appeasement, co-option and repression. Resistance may be individual or collective, formal or informal. Pushback against gender equality measures comes more often from members of the privileged group (men) than the disadvantaged group (women). Resistance is a predictable expression of the defence of institutionalised privilege, but it is also shaped by widespread discourses on "sex roles" and "post-feminism," the methods adopted to advance gender equality and the contexts in which they take place. Understanding the character and dynamics of resistance and backlash is vital for preventing and reducing them.
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Papers by Michael Flood
Report to the Victorian Department of Justice and Community Safety (2020). This does not reflect Victorian Government views.
Citation:
Flood, M. (2018). Engaging Men and Boys in Violence Prevention. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.