Gendered work, gendered violence: men and women working in Men’s Behaviour Change Programs

This article explores the differential, gendered impacts of work with perpetrators of domestic and family violence (DFV) in the context of Men’s Behaviour Change Programs (MBCPs). Drawing on qualitative data generated by interviews and focus groups with 117 Australian DFV workers, this article proposes that perpetrator intervention work is specifically and substantially gendered, demanding different things of men and women. In exploring men and women’s different motivations for, and experiences of, MBCP work, we focus on the gendered structures that both shape and transcend their individual lives. We argue that recognising the intersections of (gendered) work and (gendered) violence in MBCP work highlights the importance of taking gender seriously.