Foreword  3

Acknowledgements  4

Abbreviations and acronyms  9

Executive summary  10

1 Overview: Masculinities, gender-based violence and economic empowerment in Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal  13

Why masculinities matter  14

Restrictive masculinities in Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal: Persistence, pressures and change  15

How restrictive masculinities shape women's economic empowerment and gender-based violence  19

Promoting positive masculinities: Pathways for change  23

Policy recommendations  24

References  27

2 Masculine norms in Côte d'Ivoire  29

In brief  30

Insights from the OECD's Masculinities Index for Côte d'Ivoire  32

A "silent gap" between personal beliefs and social expectations creates space for change  39

Restrictive masculinities harm men as well as women – making transformation urgent  41

Conclusion and policy recommendations  43

Annex 2.A. OECD Masculinities Index results for Côte d'Ivoire  46

Annex 2.B. Methodology for the construction of the OECD Masculinities Index  47

References  50

Notes  53

3 Masculine norms in Senegal  55

In brief  56

Positive masculinity is gaining policy traction, but restrictive norms remain widespread  57

Restrictive masculinities are sustained through socialisation, sanctions and structural pressures  59

Pressures and misperceptions create both tensions and opportunities for change  61

Conclusion and policy recommendations  62

Annex 3.A. Conceptual framework on restrictive masculine norms in Senegal  65

References  66

4 How masculinity norms shape women's economic empowerment  67

In brief  68

Restrictive masculinities shape women's access to employment and decent work  69

Unpaid care and domestic work are a central pathway through which restrictive masculinities constrain women's paid employment  73

Restrictive masculinities constrain women's agency in decision-making and control over resources  78

Conclusion and policy recommendations  82

References  84

Notes  86

5 Transforming masculinities to prevent gender-based violence  89

In brief  90

Gender-based violence is widespread and extends beyond intimate relationships  91

Shame, social pressure and acceptance of violence limit reporting and obscure the full scale of gender-based violence  95

Restrictive masculinities explain perpetration, not victimisation  96

Normalisation of violence and weak accountability allow abuse to persist  98

Conclusion and policy recommendations  99

References  101

Notes  103