How do expectations about what it means to be a man shape gender equality outcomes? In Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal, masculinities significantly influence the degree to which women can exercise agency and achieve equality with men. In both countries, these norms are strongly organised around expectations that men should provide financially, exercise authority and maintain control, while women are expected to carry primary responsibility for unpaid care and domestic work. Such expectations can undermine women’s rights and safety, place pressure on men’s well-being, and affect social cohesion and inclusive development.
Building on the OECD’s work on discriminatory social institutions, this report sheds light on the prevalence and perceptions of masculine norms in Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal. Leveraging new survey data and qualitative evidence, it examines how restrictive masculinities affect women’s economic empowerment and feed gender-based violence. The report aims to equip policymakers and stakeholders with tools and evidence to better understand and measure these norms. In doing so, it will support their efforts to promote positive, gender-equitable masculinities as a way of advancing gender equality and addressing structural inequalities.
