Paco Abril, vice-president of the Association Homes Igualitaris (Egalitarian Men), is a staunch advocate for egalitarian, inclusive, and non-violent masculinities. Eyes of the world has found in him, and in collaboration with the entity Egalitarian Men, the perfect ally to continue transforming lives and challenging traditional gender roles.
With a PhD in Information Society and Knowledge from the UOC (Open University of Barcelona) and a degree in Sociology from the UAB (Autonomuos University of Barcelona), Paco combines his passion for gender equality and the study of masculinities with activism that inspires young people and groups of men to rethink their perspectives on what it means to be a man in our society and in our time. His teaching and research work, both nationally and internationally, focuses on the transition towards alternative models of masculinities, in areas such as the home, the workplace, and male-dominated spaces, where gender stereotypes are deeply rooted.
During his trip to Inhambane in the spring of 2025, as part of the Eyes of Mozambique project, he proposed methodological changes to raise awareness about gender stereotypes that limit women’s access to ophthalmic services. He also put forward new intervention proposals and identified future lines of action, bringing innovative perspectives to the communities of Mozambique.
With each project and exchange of experiences, Paco Abril reminds us that change towards a fairer and more equitable society is not only possible, but inevitable, when we work together with enthusiasm and commitment.
What motivated you or how did you decide to engage in activism to provoke changes in masculinities?
By chance, as happens with many things in life. In 2004, I received an offer from the Autonomous University of Barcelona to participate in a European research project, Work Changes Gender, in which we analysed how legislation promoting equality and work-life balance measures in companies could help men transition towards more egalitarian models of masculinity, with a more equitable distribution of care and household tasks with their partners.
At that time, I knew nothing about masculinities. As a result of this research, I came into contact with different groups and people in Spain, mainly in Andalusia, who since the 1980s — or even earlier — had been doing activism and personal work on masculinities. In Barcelona, I contacted a group of men, “La Sopa d’Homes” (“The Men Soup”), about 10 or 12 people who had been meeting periodically for six months to share and analyse how the socialisation they received had shaped a certain model of masculinity and the consequences of this model in their daily lives, with their partners, children, and in their relationships in different areas.
They were men who wanted to change and also encourage others to make a sincere and critical reflection on the model of masculinity that prevails in our societies. I initially went as a researcher, but even today I continue to attend meetings as just another participant, trying to understand and transition towards more livable, non-violent, respectful, and egalitarian masculinity models.
What are some of the biggest challenges you have encountered in working for the transformation of masculinities?
The biggest difficulties or challenges have to do with reaching men who, due to their circumstances, have not considered what masculinities are or what consequences they have in their lives and in the people around them. They have not reflected, for example, on the position we occupy in society and the privileges or advantages we have by being men. Nor on the consequences or costs of reproducing traditional masculinity models, in the form of more pressure, stress, emotional illiteracy, risk culture, or the violence received and exercised.
In the talks and workshops we organise, men who are already sensitised or in the process usually attend. It is very difficult for this topic to arouse interest in the rest of the men who have not considered the privileges and costs of masculinity. Perhaps because they are already comfortable with the position they occupy and perceive the possible change as a loss.
In addition, resistance from some men has grown significantly in recent times—it has always existed, but now it has intensified with social media and far-right parties that talk about ‘gender ideology,’ deny sexist violence, and question gender inequalities in society, at home, at work, or on the street. More and more men are echoing these discourses, and dialogue often becomes impossible. In sessions or workshops we hold in schools, companies, or institutions such as prisons, we often encounter men who question gender inequality and make it difficult to have a sincere dialogue about the socialisation they have received and its consequences.
Even so, we do not give up. We try to respect all positions — just as we want them to respect ours — and we explain to men that equality is not only positive for women but also for themselves. By rethinking the masculinity model and transforming some practices, they can become happier, fairer people and contribute, together with everyone, to building a more democratic, egalitarian, and violence-free society.
How did you begin your collaboration with Eyes of the world, and what have been your most significant experiences so far?
The only collaboration so far — I hope it won’t be the only one — was in April this year. It was an exchange in Mozambique between the HOPEM Network, an association that works on masculinity in that country, and our association, Homes Igualitaris. I was fortunate enough to go on behalf of our organisation.
It was a very rich and interesting experience. I had the opportunity to see how HOPEM worked on the ground, with communities and professionals within the Eyes of Mozambique programme. The objective was to raise awareness among men in the Inhambane region about gender differences in eye health. Studies show that women are more exposed to eye health problems due to their daily activities, such as working in the garden, but that, nevertheless, they attend eye health services less than men. When it comes to families with few resources, often the money is invested less in women; moreover, since men participate little in household tasks and childcare, many women do not want or cannot leave the family to travel and be attended to in services that, most of the time, are many kilometres away from their residence.
I was able to observe how HOPEM raised awareness among the men in the communities, energised the dialogue between men and women, and promoted the acquisition of skills and competencies through practical workshops. For example, in cooking workshops, the men cooked and served meals to the women, who watched as their partners prepared the food for them.
I also had the opportunity to lead a workshop, in this case aimed at representatives of NGOs that work, directly or indirectly, on gender issues. It was a very enriching experience due to the differences in context and realities that exist between Mozambique and Catalonia.
How do you see the interaction between the activities of the HOPEM Network in Mozambique and the Association Homes Igualitaris in Catalonia?
I think it has been a very enriching interaction for both parties. To begin with, we have been able to verify that we share the same critical vision of masculinities and even some working methodologies. For Homes Igualitaris, the experience has allowed us to learn how work is done in a context very different from ours, where most of the population — especially in rural communities — lives in a situation of economic vulnerability and lack of basic services such as education, health, access to running water or electricity. In this framework, often the way to ensure the participation of men in activities is by offering food or some type of economic support.
The reality of women in Mozambique is also very different from that in Catalonia. In both territories, real equality has not yet been achieved, but the situation in Mozambique is much more serious, as evidenced by the data on girls’ access to education, women’s participation in the formal economy, the frequency of rapes and other forms of daily violence, as well as the high incidence of HIV among girls and women. To this must be added the weight and influence of religion on the Mozambican population.
In this context, gender and masculinities work is urgent and must be addressed from multiple areas: raising awareness among social actors (teachers, health professionals, etc.), empowering women, and promoting awareness among men to advance towards a more just and egalitarian society.
In Catalonia, although male violence is also a serious problem, the situation is different thanks to the impetus of feminism and the existence of a specific legislative framework. Important inequalities still persist, but in areas such as care or salaries, the trend is towards reducing the gender gap.
What changes do you think can be achieved in the men who participate in the Eyes of the world project? Do you have any example or experience to highlight?
Changes in men towards alternative, egalitarian and non-violent models of masculinity do not happen overnight. It is a process that takes time. Years of socialisation need to be reviewed. The first step is to become aware of the desire to initiate this process of change: just by making this decision, you have already come a long way.
Next, we need to review our practices in different areas: at home, with our partners and children, at work, with our colleagues… The aim is to become aware of those actions we perform out of habit that involve power relations steeped in sexism. The key is to remain steadfast in our desire for change and to highlight new attitudes, values, and practices, thereby adopting a proactive stance.
An interesting aspect of the Eyes of the world project is that, in working with men in the communities, a person from the same community has been trained as a programme reference, responsible for helping organise the workshops. It would be advisable for these people to receive more lasting training and, in the long run, to be able to lead the transformation process, scheduling continuous sessions with the men and evaluating their progress. In parallel, a female reference could also be trained to work with women and, at certain times, organise mixed workshops with men and women.
How do you see the future of egalitarian masculinities and what steps do you think are necessary to advance in this area in the context of the fight against avoidable blindness?
In general, I am optimistic, although in Europe we are witnessing certain setbacks in terms of equality, especially in values rather than practices. If we look at it with perspective, there have been significant changes in men. For example, many young fathers, without giving up their professional life, want to combine it with the care of their children and maintain a more equitable distribution of responsibilities with their partners.
In relation to the Eyes of the world programme to fight avoidable blindness, one of the proposals that emerged from the exchange and reflections between HOPEM and Homes Igualitaris was the need to give more weight to training in gender and masculinities, including the perspective of the fight against avoidable blindness, aimed at key actors working with different groups. One of these groups is the teaching staff. We realised that it is essential to reach children and young people, as they represent the future. Sensitising them could contribute decisively to reducing inequalities in the coming years.
Since it would be difficult to reach all students directly with a continuous programme, the best strategy is to train teachers so that they can introduce these contents transversally in their teaching practice and thus become agents of change. This same strategy could also be applied to other groups, such as healthcare personnel, the police, or the judiciary.
Another idea that emerged is to train and organise sessions with journalists so that they can spread the message of the fight against avoidable blindness, the gender perspective, and the need to review masculinities. The media — print, radio, and television — can play a key role in spreading these messages.
One practice that is already in place, and which should be reinforced, is the use of street theatre to convey these messages. It is also necessary to strengthen the role of reference figures and agents of change: men, young people, community leaders and programme representatives within the communities, making visible their commitment to the fight against avoidable blindness and the transformation of masculinities. One way to reinforce this could be through social awareness materials (bracelets with slogans, pins, T-shirts, bags, etc.).
What advice would you give to men who seek to challenge traditional gender roles?
To men who want to challenge traditional gender roles, I would recommend starting a process of personal and collective review. The first step is to question the traditional model of masculinity, now obsolete, which limits the expression of feelings and the way relationships are lived.
Changing everything that is linked to power and violence will allow us to transform the way we inhabit the world. We must review ourselves to move from a learned representation of what it means to be a man to living authentically what each one is.
Another piece of advice is to cultivate empathy: listen, feel, and put yourself in the other person’s shoes. Likewise, it is necessary to get involved in care. This means going far beyond fatherhood: it is about building masculinity from balanced relationships, living parenting and care as one’s own spaces, not as a terrain where men are only guests or where women indicate how things should be done.
There is no magic formula to achieve a more egalitarian masculinity. The most important thing is to focus on enjoying and feeling good, letting things flow naturally.
It is also key to recognise the value of the body and affectionate contact: breaking the shell of distance and allowing oneself to show feelings, give hugs, and establish more sincere bonds.
Finally, this change must be understood as a path of constant learning, without competition, where reading, training, dialogue and sharing experiences with other men and women become a driving force for personal and social transformation.