Shifting Narratives

Jackson Katz led a session on the “Role of Men in Combating Gender-Based Violence” for Delhi government school mentor teachers at the American Center New Delhi. (Photograph by Rakesh Malhotra)

Jackson Katz, an American educator, author and social theorist, has long been a prominent figure in the growing movement of men dedicated to advancing gender equality and preventing gender-based violence (GBV). As a co-founder of the Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) program, Katz has played a pivotal role in establishing one of the longest-running and globally influential gender violence prevention programs, with impact extending across North America, Europe, Australia and beyond. MVP was the first large-scale program implemented in university and professional sports cultures, as well as across all branches of the U.S. military.

During his time in India, Katz spoke with audiences in Mumbai, Pune, Jaipur and New Delhi to empower communities and leaders—especially men—to reject violence and discrimination. He conducted workshops and talks with the police, students, educators, activists and community leaders, focusing on techniques to end GBV and emphasizing the crucial role men play in eliminating violence and creating a safer world for people of all genders.
Excerpts from an interview.

Tell us what inspired you to work in the area of gender-based violence.
I started doing this work as a university student when I realized just how big of a problem gender inequality was. And yet there were so few men speaking out about it. It seemed obvious to me that it was a problem. I started out, literally as a 19-year-old boy, witnessing my female friends not even feeling safe walking across campus late at night. And I thought how would I feel if I were a woman and I had to worry about walking home at night from a party, which I just took for granted that I could do because I’m a man. It went from that to being the larger issue of gender inequality in the world, and here I am

Why is GBV commonly seen as a women’s issue and men have not been prominently involved in the conversation?

I think one of the reasons why men aren’t involved is because the very act of calling this issue a women’s issue shifts accountability and responsibility away from men. So a lot of men think that it is not their issue. Some may think that if they are not abusive themselves or if they don’t harass or sexually assault women, it is not their issue. I also feel that the language that people use to talk about domestic and sexual violence keeps our attention off of men and focuses on women instead, so people use passive language to talk about the subject. We talk about how many women were raped last year, not about how many men raped women. This shifts the focus from men to women. A big part of my work for a long time as a writer, a speaker and an educator, has been to help people think outside the box a little bit and to challenge the language that we use. Because again, if we want men to be involved, it has to be in a way that we talk about this subject

Why do you think it’s important to involve men in countering GBV and how can they get involved?

Well, it’s important to get men involved because, sadly, men are the ones committing the vast majority of the abuse, harassment and violence. I frame these issues as leadership issues. This means that if you’re a leader, you must do at least three things. One, in your sphere of influence, figure out how to support victims and survivors. Two, interrupt abuse and hold offenders accountable in a certain sense, and three, create a climate where abusive behavior is seen as completely socially unacceptable

What advice would you give to a man who sees and understands how serious the problem of GBV is but lacks the courage to speak out against it?

It does take a certain amount of confidence and sometimes courage. And by the way, courage is often social courage, not physical courage. The fear that I think a lot of men have, is a social fear. They are worried that they are going to have awkward interactions with their friends, or that their peers are going to think less of them. But I think one of the ways to counter the anxiety and the doubts that a lot of men feel is by just having more of us talking about this

If you could give one-line advice to screenwriters to increase gender-sensitive portrayals in film and television, what would that be?

I would say being committed to the process is more important than always doing exactly what needs to be done. We’re all human beings, trying to figure this out. I think we’re all work in progress, and I think one of the things that I would say to men and young men is, don’t put so much burden on yourself.

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