Equimundo

05/30/2026

Wow. Just wow.

As WOW - Women of the World Founder Jude Kelly said, there really is no other word to describe yesterday's Boys and Men Festival in Rio.

From altinha lessons and passinho workshops to drumming, hair braiding, spoken word, art, music, and breathtaking performances by AVUÁ, the day was filled with joy, creativity, community, and hope.

Thank you to everyone who made the Boys and Men Festival such a powerful reminder of what becomes possible when we come together.

Wow. Just wow.

05/29/2026

Last night at the Museum of Tomorrow in Rio de Janeiro, we opened the Boys & Men Festival with an evening of spoken word, music, performance, and storytelling that captured the spirit of the MenCare Changemaker Summit.

Artists and changemakers invited us to reflect, connect, and imagine a world shaped by caring masculinities, gender equality, and care as a foundation for social change.

The evening concluded with passinho, Rio’s homegrown dance style born in the favelas and shaped by influences from samba, funk, hip-hop, and more. Passinho is a powerful expression of creativity, joy, identity, and resistance, embodying the transformative potential of culture and community.

As we begin the days ahead, we are reminded that advancing gender equality is not only about policy and programs. It is also about stories, art, movement, and the spaces where people come together to imagine new possibilities.

05/25/2026

Across countries, cultures, and contexts, parents are saying the same thing.

They are stretched to a breaking point. And they are not getting the support they need.

But their demands are not abstract. They are clear, practical, and achievable.

Affordable childcare. Flexible work. Paid parental leave. Safe communities. Education and health systems that actually work. Recognition that fathers are caregivers too.

These are not luxuries. They are the basic conditions needed to raise children with dignity.

Parents are already making extraordinary sacrifices to hold families together. What they are asking for now is for systems to meet them halfway.

They are ready to demand change. And increasingly, they are ready to vote for it.

The future of care will depend on whether institutions listen.



Read the full report: bit.ly/eSOWF2026

05/04/2026

Introducing Equimundo's State of the World's Fathers 2026.

This global study from Equimundo brings together data from 8,000 mothers and fathers across 16 countries, offering one of the most comprehensive snapshots of caregiving today.

Parents do not have the time, resources, or support to care for their families without constant strain. Economic insecurity is the dominant pressure. Affordability is a daily concern. At the same time, many parents are navigating fears about their children’s lives online.

Parents report that governments, employers, and institutions are failing to meet the moment. Care continues to be undervalued and underinvested in, despite its central role in our lives.

When care systems fail, the impact is wide-reaching. It affects wellbeing, equality, and social stability.

This report makes a clear case. Care must be placed at the center of economic and social systems, not at the margins.

Read the full report: bit.ly/eSOWF2026

Promoting nurturing, equitable, non-violent masculinity since 2011

04/15/2026

The debate around Louis Theroux’s manosphere documentary has focused heavily on what was missing.

While a lot of the criticism is valid, this piece by Caroline Hayes, Senior Technical Specialist on Digital Strategies at Equimundo, and Sarah Sternberg, Global Director on Reimagining Masculinities at Movember takes a different view. It explores why those expectations may not align with how influence actually works in this space, and what the documentary gets right about engaging young men today.

If you liked this article and want to get our latest think pieces and cultural commentary on men, boys, and gender equality subscribe to our Substack!

Caroline Hayes is the Senior Technical Specialist on Digital Strategies at Equimundo and Sarah Sternberg is the Global Director on Reimagining Masculinities at Movember.

04/15/2026

📲 How can technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) be measured in ways that are ethical, contextually grounded, and globally comparable?

Join us on 16 April 2026 for an insightful moderated conversation hosted by SVRI's TFGBV Community of Practice. Drawing on global frameworks, a compendium of TFGBV measures, and ground-up innovations, a panel of experts will discuss how to measure TFGBV in ways that are comparable across contexts yet grounded in local realities — without compromising safety or ethics in data collection.

During the session, the TFGBV CoP will also present the new leads for the working groups on ethics and measurement, and on advocacy.

📅 16 April 2026
🕛 8:30am EDT / 2:30pm SAST
🔗 Register at the link in comments.

🎙️ Moderated by Sangeeta Chatterji, Research Director, SVRI, the discussion will feature:
🔹 Taveeshi Gupta, Director of Research, Evaluation, and Learning, Equimundo
🔹 Chloé Lewis, Deputy Director of Research, Evaluation, and Learning, Equimundo
🔹 LynnMarie Sardinhal, Technical Officer on Violence Against Women Data and Research, World Health Organization (WHO)
🔹 Jackline Namubiru, Senior Associate, Gender Research and Policy, Innovations for Poverty Action
🔹 Victoria Kiasyo Isika, Associate Director of Policy and Gender for IPA East Africa, Innovations for Poverty Action

04/01/2026

Helen Pearson spoke with Gary Barker, CEO of Equimundo, in a recent Nature feature examining whether boys and young men are in crisis and what that framing reveals and obscures.

The article draws on a growing body of research pointing to rising mental-health challenges among young people, alongside persistent questions about how boys are socialized to understand emotion, connection, and identity.

Barker highlights the pressures many boys face to conform to narrow expectations of masculinity, often discouraging openness and help-seeking. At the same time, the data resists simple conclusions. While some indicators suggest boys are struggling in specific ways, girls and young women continue to experience equal or greater challenges in mental health overall.

Rather than framing this as a zero-sum issue, the work of Equimundo focuses on a broader goal. Supporting boys and men in ways that advance gender equality, not compete with it. This includes creating spaces for reflection, promoting healthier models of masculinity, and addressing the social conditions that shape how young people grow and relate to one another.

The question is not whether one group is in crisis over another. It is how to respond to the realities facing all young people with nuance, evidence, and care.

Read the full feature by Helen Pearson in Nature Magazine here: https://bit.ly/nature-magazine-equimundo

📸 Mr.Nelson Design

03/30/2026

What does it mean to be a man in the UK today?

Join us in Oxford on April 21 at the Old Fire Station for an evening of poetry, comedy, film and conversation exploring masculinity in uncertain times.

We are bringing together new and established voices to unpack the realities shaping men’s lives right now. From mental health and fatherhood to power, care and connection, nothing is off limits.

Featuring Sam Browne, Alex Farrow, Lee Chambers and Dr. Chloé Lewis. Hosted by Ben Hurst.

Plus a new short film created with BBC StoryWorks.

There is a lot of noise and concern around masculinity today. But there is also something important beneath it. Most men value friendship, care and connection. That is where the conversation needs to go.

Come be part of it. Register now, spaces is limited. https://bit.ly/marmaladeEQMO

03/25/2026

Equimundo’s 2025 Impact Report is out now.

This year’s report reflects a collective effort across our global network and the many partners who continue to push this work forward. We are grateful to everyone who contributed their time, insight, and leadership.

Our work remains grounded in a simple but powerful idea. Engaging men and boys as allies is essential to advancing gender equality. Across more than 55 countries, we continue to promote caring forms of masculinity through research, programs, and partnerships that strengthen evidence based approaches and drive impact at scale.

At a time of increasing pushback against gender equality, this work is more urgent than ever. Together with partners around the world, we are working to shift norms, strengthen systems, and build more just and equitable societies.
We invite you to explore the full report and join us in advancing this work.

Explore Equimundo's impact in 2024 – from school-based interventions, media campaigns, and partnerships with global organizations.

02/27/2026

Senior Communications Associate Laura Phillips-Alvarez shares a personal reflection in Equimundo Bylines (our Substack) on how the manosphere showed up in her life before she even had language for it.

What began as a backpacking trip after college slowly revealed something deeper taking hold: an algorithm-driven worldview reshaping ideas about love, power, and partnership in real time.

Today, Laura works at Equimundo alongside researchers and practitioners confronting the same online ecosystems influencing boys and young men everywhere.

Read the full piece:

My first introduction to the 'manosphere.'