Chloé Guerrini, Project Coordinator
Breaking Barriers Together: Engaging Men in Women's Economic Empowerment
16 août 2024
![un homme et une femme debout dans une pièce](/sites/g/files/zskgke326/files/2024-08/capture_decran_2024-08-16_a_10.45.48.png)
Last year, UNDP set out to answer the important question of what is behind women’s economic empowerment, as part of the joint UNDP-UNW-WHO project “Promoting Women’s Leadership”, funded by Denmark.
UNDP’s focus on directly empowering women in Tunisia is not new: we have worked for years to boost women’s skills, confidence, and access to resources such as equipment and raw materials. However, this time we sought to increase our understanding of women’s socio-economic empowerment by talking not only to women but all the people which share their daily lives. To ground ourselves in reality, we hit the field to talk to everyone directly concerned: women entrepreneurs, from agriculture workers to craftswomen; civil society organizations as well as public support structures. This time, most importantly, we also talked to men, recognizing that fathers, brothers, and husbands all play crucial roles in women’s access to work, financial autonomy, and education. Over the years, we had heard many stories of how men could serve either as key obstacles to women or, conversely, as key supporters to women in overcoming social and structural challenges.
This made us think: how can we, as UNDP, turn men into allies and encourage them to be supportive agents and to actively contribute to women’s economic empowerment?
The Genesis: Engaging men in the conversation to understand women’s economic empowerment
We started by gathering feedback and insights from people and organizations across Kef and Kebili governorates, where the joint programme was focused. Our data pointed us to the conclusion that men’s perceptions and behaviors regarding women’s socio-economic rights were not necessarily driven by beliefs about women, such as the belief that women were undeserving of such rights, but rather by beliefs about the impact that increasing women’s access to such rights would have on men’s place in society .
While this is not groundbreaking information – organizations which have worked on gender equality for decades are well aware – knowledge of such pernicious beliefs has not necessarily translated into results. The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 on gender equality is sorely off track for 2030. At the rate the world is going now, it will take 140 years to achieve equality of women’s representation in leadership in the workplace . Tunisia is no exception to this worrying delay in bridging the gender gap. While Tunisia has improved its gender equality ranking between 2023 and 2024 and now stands at 115th place out of 146 countries towards achieving full gender parity (versus 128th place in 2023) , it remains far from achieving full equality of economic participation and opportunity. Tunisia scores especially low in terms of labour-force participation and estimated earned income .
Such delays in progress suggest that there is a need to do things differently and explore new approaches which can complement what is already being done. First, UNDP looked at the impact we wanted to contribute to, which was to increase the economic empowerment of women including by improving their access to employment, education, vocational training, and financial services. Then, we looked at the obstacles that would need to be addressed, and in particular, to shift the adversarial attitude whereby men perceive that the socioeconomic success of women comes at their expense, to one where men and women see each other as allies, where mutual success is possible and where the empowerment of women is seen to benefit everyone. Inherent in the act of men supporting women would be men supporting themselves, and overall, their community. Men would have a positive perception of women’s socio-economic rights, in line not only with the normative moral but also the socioeconomic dividends that accrue to societies where women are empowered, but more importantly, we wanted them to actively commit and be involved in increasing women’s access to employment, education, training and financial services. Ultimately, our goal was to trigger a behavioral shift.
The Analysis: Unpacking behaviors and influences
Behaviors are the complex result of a set of driving forces, led by personal, social and environmental factors. If we can’t understand the factors behind a person’s decision, we can’t change the person’s behaviors and, ultimately, their actions.
Through field missions, we had gathered the information to identify the key behavioral factors behind women’s economic empowerment, with a particular focus on men’s role. This was further enriched by a literature review that explored existing research and data from Tunisia and other countries, resulting in a behavioral analysis.
On a personal and psychological level, women often have lower expectations regarding their profession and salary compared to men, influenced by both internal and external pressures. This is compounded by a sense of competition, where men may resist the economic betterment of women due to perceptions of positive discrimination favoring women. There is often a lack of encouragement for women to pursue lucrative or fulfilling careers, which impacts their ability to envision their potential.
Socially, the participation of housewives in the labor market is generally accepted, even welcomed, as it contributes economically to the household. However, this can sometimes be to the detriment of women, as societal pressures play a significant role in shaping or constraining such participation. Women can face negative public perceptions regarding how much they work outside the home, or if a man engages in domestic tasks. While women entrepreneurs are often admired, they can also be perceived as a threat to traditional male roles as heads of households.
Environmentally, media and communication play a dual role. They can raise the profile of successful women, but they also often perpetuate stereotypes that reinforce negative images of women. Education systems, meanwhile, are frequently inadequate in promoting women’s rights, which limits awareness and opportunities. Additionally, limited accessibility to public spaces restricts women’s opportunities, and the unequal sharing of knowledge and information between men and women further exacerbates this gap.
The collective reflection: Identifying key behaviors
Identifying the behavioral factors was only an intermediate step. What mattered was how we could use these insights to drive our objectives forward.
Meaningful impact often comes from a collective effort fueled by grassroots engagement. Our exploration in Kef in June 2023 and years of work in Kebili provided us with a diverse network of agents of change. They enlightened our behavioral analysis, anchored our initiative in women’s and men’s reality, and helped us to define specific behaviors for which our interventions would be designed. Our collaboration involved regional institutional partners, such as the Regional Social Affairs Departments or the Regional Commission for Women and Family, civil society organizations which support local economic and development activities, and development actors focused on gender equality.
During the course of our intervention design process, we had the opportunity to be inspired by many agents of change at the local level. For example, the experience of the mutually supportive duo of Khamsa, a craftswoman supported by UNDP since 2022 , and her husband, a farmer, from Kebili was a rich sources of inspiration. Khamsa acknowledged that her success in her work would not have been possible without her husband's support. Whenever she needs to be away from home for training or to participate in a fair, he takes on the responsibilities of caring for their children and handling household chores, even though this is not widely accepted in their community. Her husband remarked that witnessing her happiness and fulfillment from her achievements motivates him to support her in every way he can, just to see her shine. Their inputs were valuable in helping us to refine our approach and set achievable behavior goals. In addition, they presented an inspiring and memorable dynamic which touched many participants involved in our initiative.
![un homme debout devant une table](/sites/g/files/zskgke326/files/2024-08/sans_titre.png)
Khamsa and Ahmed (from a CSO in Kebili) presenting their personas (Co-creation workshop Tunis – February 2024).
After a range of exercises and discussions, we collectively identified three specific behaviors to focus on, thus completing the third step of our design process:
First, we aimed to increase men's involvement in domestic chores and childcare, which would free up time and energy for women to pursue personal or professional projects. This shift allows men to move beyond the traditional role of "family provider" and embrace a more emotionally engaged and active role, where their value is not solely tied to the income they contribute. Such a shift is vital when one considers that Tunisian women typically spend between 8 and 12 hours a day on unpaid care work, while men spend only 45 minutes .
Secondly, we emphasized the importance of couples jointly managing family expenses. This approach not only includes women more in financial decision-making and grants them greater financial autonomy but also strengthens the overall family dynamic.
Lastly, we wished to encourage families to frequent public spaces together. By doing so, women gain greater access to information, discussions, and networks, which can facilitate the initiation or development of new projects.
These focus areas were shaped by our commitment to working collaboratively with couples and avoiding adversarial dynamics between men and women—a crucial insight from our fieldwork. We recognized the importance of engaging men directly, as they often hold significant decision-making power, to foster meaningful and sustainable change.
From Insight to Action: Implementing behavioral changes
Due to the constraints of the project, we decided to concentrate our efforts on the first behavior, ie increasing men's involvement in domestic chores and childcare. As mentioned already, our end goal from the beginning of the process was to engage with men. Expanding women’s access to socio-economic rights at the community level requires much more than building women's skills. By involving entire families and communities, we can foster the development of new skills for everyone. This inclusive approach supports not only women but also the broader community, promoting shared growth and understanding.
Our agents of change (AoC) network in both governorates engaged enthusiastically in this approach, and we relied on their advice and connections to identify the men who would participate in the field mission we conducted in June 2023 as well as our collective workshop in early 2024.
The Father-Children Camp: a practical approach to changing behaviors
To highlight men’s role outside of the traditional provider role and to equip them with the mental and practical tools to support their wives with domestic chores and childcare, we first had to take the women out of the equation. We invited fifteen fathers from Kef and Kebili governorates, who had been recommended and mobilized by our AoC network, to the coastal city of Sousse. They did not come alone: they brought their children and were forbidden from bringing their wives to ensure that they took full responsibility for the children during the camp. Twenty-eight children joined the camp.
![un groupe de personnes sur une plage](/sites/g/files/zskgke326/files/2024-08/capture_decran_2024-08-16_a_10.37.18.png)
Fathers and children sharing entertaining activities (Father-Children Camp Sousse – June 2024).
Over two days, the camp featured playful activities in the form of role-play to entertain both children and fathers. Some activities provided bonding-time (building sandcastles and sewing presents); others pushed the men to think about their role in the family and their wives’ mental and physical load while experiencing this first-hand by cooking for the whole team. Taking care of their children for two whole days was also quite the task. Keeping a close eye on them, having them shower, and dressing them. At the end of the first day, many fathers confided that it was the first time they had to care for their children alone, finding it difficult and tiring.
![un groupe de personnes assises à une table](/sites/g/files/zskgke326/files/2024-08/capture_decran_2024-08-16_a_10.37.30.png)
Fathers and children participating in a sewing workshop/Fathers cooking (Father-Children Camp Sousse – June 2024).
It is obvious that a 2-day father-children camp cannot suddenly change lifelong learned behaviors at once. However, this camp provided an opportunity for men to reflect on gender roles and understand the significant load their wives bear, as well as the positive consequences of men taking on their responsibilities in caring for children and housework. Most of them had never really thought about the burden of unpaid domestic labor. The change in perceptions was easily visible, with almost all men (93%) believing at the end of the camp that men’s participation in domestic chores had significant advantages. Many reflected on the sacrifices their wives had been making, highlighting that “it is necessary and crucial that the burden is not yet borne by just one person”. A few men observed that sharing responsibilities and reducing women’s burden help improve familial relations. This realization was made possible because, as one man said, they “experienced it [the burden]”. The discussions at the end of the camp showed that the men were determined to apply at home what they had realized at camp. Many expressed a desire to spend more time at home, reduce their café visits, and make compromises to balance household responsibilities more equitably. One participant particularly noted his commitment to "taking the initiative to complete domestic tasks without complaining or leaving them for his wife to finish," reflecting a deeper understanding of the mental load often shouldered by women.
Looking Ahead: Evaluating impact and next steps
In a couple months, we will go back and talk to these men, and include their wives in the discussion, to assess any changes at home. Do the men spend less time outside and more time with their children? Do the women have more energy and time for their own pursuits?
In the meantime, UNDP will continue to foster discussions and create spaces for reflection on men’s participation in domestic chores, women’s roles in financial decision-making, and women’s access to public spaces. These are all crucial factors for building a more inclusive and economically solid family—and, by extension, community. We have already returned to Kef and Kebili to gather more perspectives from women and men, on the street, in their workplace, on these questions. The responses have been diverse and thought-provoking, sparking ongoing reflection and dialogue.
In addition, we have engaged the public in these discussions online, to mark National Women’s Day in Tunisia (13 August), as part of our #TogetherForUs (#مع_بعضنا_لبعضنا) campaign, which promotes mutual support within the family for equitable socio-economic development for everyone.
![photo,beaucoup,différent,couvert,groupe,divers,homme,plusieurs,femme,table,vieux,réfrigérateur,ordinateur,jeune,groupe,coloré,beaucoup,gens,en train de jouer,en portant,oiseau,planche,bleu,cuisine,rue,debout,chemise](/sites/g/files/zskgke326/files/2024-08/affiche_principal_campagne_13_aout_en.png)
As the SDG Report 2024 highlights, “Strong and sustained commitments to changing biased social norms […] are urgently needed” to reach SDG 5. The world is falling behind, not just in gender equality, but across most SDGs. Social norms and behaviors significantly impact our progress toward a fair, inclusive, and sustainable future. The behavioral change interventions that we have triggered in the context of this initiative have resonance for all our development programming, including in the context of gender equality but going beyond to encompass environmental protection, water management, waste reduction, corporate social responsibility, and public policies. We look forward to continuing to move beyond mere awareness-raising to interventions which seek to shift perceptions, emotions, behavioral actions, and ultimately habits.