Masculinities in Continuing Education University Responses, Limitations, and a Broadened Gender Perspective

Abstract

The essay examines the emergence of a social consciousness regarding gender inequalities in Latin America and the response of higher education through an expanding provision of postgraduate and continuing‑education programs on masculinities. Drawing on three lines of evidence—the persistence of femicide (3,828 victims in 2024), a policy shift toward including men in gender‑equity strategies, and pressure from social movements intensified by the care crisis following the COVID‑19 pandemic—the study argues that this educational supply responds to an urgent social demand. A critical mapping of programs identifies a structural limitation: the predominance of an approach centered on intimate‑partner violence. The essay proposes a broadened gender perspective—relational, intersectional, and programmatic—that integrates shared responsibility for care, men’s mental health, active fatherhood, inclusion of gender and sexual diversities, and formative evaluation to support scalability and impact.