@article{article_246383, title={Threatened Masculinities: Men’s Experiences of Gender Equality in Rural Rwanda}, journal={Masculinities: A Journal of Identity and Culture}, pages={55–85}, year={2015}, author={Kagaba, Mediatrice}, keywords={Rwanda, Gender equality, Masculinity, Men}, abstract={This article analyses how rural Rwandan men experience gender equality laws and policies in their everyday lives. Traditional Rwandan society had a patriarchal social structure that resulted in men’s dominance and women’s subordination. A new constitution, adopted after the 1994 Tutsi genocide, recognizes the importance of gender equality and includes specific legal provisions to ensure women’s equal protection under the law. Working from focus group discussions in Kamonyi District, I explore men’s experiences of shifting power relations in Rwanda. Men have two main stories to tell in this regard: they appreciate the right of inheritance that women have acquired, as it increases the family assets, and new employment opportunities for women that offer men relief from the burden of providing for the family. Yet they also believe that men’s interests have been neglected in new laws, leading to problems in the family and community. The process of repositioning their masculinities today produces new forms of household conflict}, number={3}, publisher={Murat GÖÇ}