Constructing an alternative masculine identity: the experience of the Centro Bartolomé de las Casas and Oxfam America in El Salvador

Overview

The hegemonic model of masculinity under which men in El Salvador grow up and live emphasises control, physical force, and rational intelligence. Aspects of these elements vary in each society and time period, but the elements themselves have remained a constant part of a man’s notion of his identity in the Central American, twentieth-century context, and a real risk for gender-based violence. There is a need for alternative male behaviour patterns. While these alternatives exist in diverse environments, they are largely invisible to the general society. This article presents and discusses working with men in the context of a wide civil society and Oxfam America campaign to prevent gender-based violence in El Salvador.

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