Better Allies: Engaging men for gender equality in CARE Madagascar NGO

Abstract

Better Allies is a 12-month project developed within CARE Madagascar that engages men in the organization as active and accountable allies for gender equality. The project is based on a specific institutional anchoring, which includes a national office, three regional offices, and a target group made up of the men working at CARE Madagascar.

Civil society in Madagascar plays an important role in advancing gender equality, especially because the state struggles to do so. NGOs, including international ones such as CARE, have policies, trained staff, and follow international standards. The question raised by Better Allies is whether the men working in these organizations truly act in accordance with the values of equality their organizations claim to promote. Studies show, however, that caution is needed, because even in organizations that present themselves as committed, men often just comply with expectations without really questioning the deeper causes of inequality.

Research also shows that shame-based approaches produce defensive withdrawal, while those starting from lived experience generate more sustained engagement (Greig & Flood, 2020; Pascoe & Peacock, 2023). The pluralistic ignorance phenomenon also explains why men who privately reject certain norms continue to conform to them publicly (Munsch et al., 2018). Better Allies integrates both findings into its design logic.

3 outputs are expected, namely: a male allyship framework integrated into HR tools; training sessions; and reflective discussion groups. Progress will be monitored through the GEM scale, individual action plans, and qualitative documentation of social dynamics. At the end of the implementation, a capitalization report will document what happened, including failures, and will share the results with Malagasy civil society.