Gender Regimes Changing Men or Men Changing Gender Regimes? Challenges for National and Transnational Social Policy, Gender Equality and Organizing with Men

[M]en in different parts of the world are spending vast amounts of money trying to kill each other, whilst a large proportion of the world’s population (mostly, but not exclusively women and children) are allowed to starve to death. . . . Male violence, sexual or otherwise, is not the unusual behaviour of a few ‘odd’ individuals, neither is it an expression of overwhelming biological urges: it is a product of the social world in which we live. (Cowburn et al, 1992)

The notion of policy can easily appear at first as gender-neutral. Yet not only is much policy and policy development constructed by and through assumptions about gender, but also much policy and policy development can be understood as policy on and about gender and gender relations.. . . Gender constructs policy, as policy constructs gender. (Hearn and McKie, 2008)

Recognizing that men are both key actors in gender regimes and a key issue for policy itself, this chapter addresses what might be called the ‘man problem’ in gender regimes and policy development – and in particular the challenges to be met in national and transnational social policy, gender equality and organizing with men. It draws on recent research on men and masculinities across Europe and focuses on how gender regimes can and do change men, and how men can be and are involved in changing gender regimes....