We are seeing a mixture of changing social norms that are supporting more gender equality and a political realization that exclusion is much more difficult to manage over the long term, Sandra Pepera, senior associate and director for gender, women and democracy, Sandra Pepera, National Democratic Institute (NDI) director for gender women and democracy said in an interview with N1, adding that the way to encourage men to support women's leadership is through raising awareness among male political elites about the opportunities that political transitions offer.

Your work has spanned various regions and political contexts. How do you see the role of men evolving in the global movement towards gender equality, particularly in transitional economies?

“I think there has always been a “men's wing” of the global gender equality and feminist movements. However, the political context or moment – which can range from stable and open societies to fragility and conflict – determines how power is distributed between the genders, and even within marginalized communities. I think what we are seeing is a mixture of changing social norms that are supporting more gender equality and a political realization that exclusion is much more difficult to manage over the long term. But these social norms are changing at different speeds in different contexts.”

In your experience with international organizations, what strategies have proven most effective in engaging men as allies in the fight for gender equality?

“First and foremost, the tone is set at the top. You can have all the best policies, incentives and ambitions from every single other person in the organization, but if the chief executive does not fully embrace what gender equality means and takes no actions to demonstrate their commitment, you will get some levels of compliance but no organizational transformation. Data is also very important. There are often some hard truths that need to be revealed. For example, you need to know, track and question every aspect of people management – from recruitment, to retention, and talent management. And perhaps this is linked to my first point: the organizations that do well foster an environment and culture that allows each and every individual to bring their whole self to the workplace every single day.”

You've worked extensively on women's political participation during periods of political transition. How can we encourage men to support women's leadership in such contexts, and what role do they play in this process?

“In a way, it's about raising awareness among male political elites about the opportunities that political transitions offer. Some of them have negative democratic impacts, but the ones that have important positive, lasting and democratic outcomes are all characterised by a focus on and drive for inclusion. Whether it's encouraging women to strengthen their inter-community bonds of association, or (re-)building inclusive institutions and legal frameworks, or allocating public resources in ways that increase equity and justice. Coming out of a transition while focused on inclusion truly transforms our social, economic and political relationships.”

Gender equality initiatives often face resistance due to deeply entrenched cultural norms. What are some of the challenges you've encountered when addressing issues of masculinity and gender roles, and how have you navigated them?

“Social norm change can be glacial and we are all raised in gendered contexts. There's no escaping that the political landscape is the most gendered of all – and we have to change that. But, as I say frequently, ‘when you're used to privilege, equality feels like oppression,’ so we have to navigate the change process with care. It’s not always obvious to people how power and privilege, inequality and discrimination are impacting their lives, so showing men and boys, women and girls the harm that is being done to them by the gendered stereotypes, which are almost universal according to UNDP's 2023 Human Development Report, is an important first step.”

The concept of positive masculinity is gaining traction in gender discourse. How do you define positive masculinity, and what are some practical steps societies can take to promote it?

“I think I want to look forward to a post-gendered world, where we have positive humanity. It would be characterized by equity and justice, perhaps something like the ancient concept of ‘Ubuntu,’ a Bantu word which means ‘I am what I am because of who we all are’.”

Digital platforms have become crucial in advocacy and mobilization. How can digital rights and online behaviour influence perceptions of masculinity and gender equality, and what measures should be taken to ensure these platforms are used positively?

“The digital age had such promise for social transformations that centred equity and justice. However, what we've seen is that the digital space is an extension of the physical and analogue world. Since we do not have gender equality offline, and the creators of the internet and social media platforms were largely from the globally dominant class of heterosexual white men, the internet was bound to reflect and nurture the same discriminations and inequalities that existed before it. Through the lack of any type of regulation or commonly agreed normative standards, the internet has become a toxic space where anything goes, and gendered behaviours and attacks are not only allowed but encouraged by the business model of the platforms where hate drives their profits. This nexus between hate and profit drives online misogyny, gender-based abuse and harassment, and gendered disinformation. At the same time, we should understand that the creation of new threatening forms of tech-facilitated violence, which have physical manifestations such as doxxing and swatting, have a chilling effect on the participation of women and other marginalised populations in politics and public life. At NDI, we say that the tech sector/the internet cannot solve the issue of misogyny in the world, but misogyny online is a solvable problem. We have explored with partners around the world a range of solutions that, if combined in ways that reflect the local context, problem and stakeholders, can start to clean up the internet.”

Looking at your extensive career, what are some key lessons you've learned about fostering inclusive institutions that not only address gender disparities but also actively involve men in the process?

“Well, the only truly universal lesson is that you can't address gender disparities without involving men in the process! We should reject the idea that achieving gender equality is for women to do alone. It can't be done, and hidden within that way of thinking is that gender equality is not good for men too – and it really, really is. We know that: more men are interested in being equally present in the lives of their children and that this is good for early childhood development; the pressure of expectations of being the provider/protector takes a toll on men's health; and that where politics are informed by gender equality in representation and in the goals of policies, democracies are more sustainable, more accountable and more resilient. Engaging men with this agenda begins with holding a light up to inappropriate and toxic behaviours and ruling a zero tolerance for them. It continues with encouraging men to drive institutional and organizational change (and, yes, this will displace men – especially older men – from their disproportionate hold on power). Working to change the social norms that define our roles will be the only way to achieve justice and equity for all of us.”

Sandra Pepera is an international development professional. Much of Sandra’s career has been spent working in or on transitional economies, focusing on the building of resilient and inclusive institutions. She led work on women and politics during the period of intense and unstable political transition in Ghana in the early 1990s. Sandra also participated in a program that supported the ANC Women’s League during South Africa’s transition from apartheid to majority democratic rule in 1993. Sandra is a member of the Cambridge Sustainability Leaders Network, the Royal Commonwealth Society, and the International Advisory Board of the Commonwealth Journal for International Affairs (the Round Table).