22 Oct 2026

Traditional leaders have been urged to find new ways of teaching boys and men about gender equality, shared household responsibilities and effective communication amid changing societal expectations around traditional gender roles.

Speaking during a high-level dialogue on gender and social norms with Ntlo ya Dikgosi on Tuesday, Mr Desmond Lunga of Men and Boys Gender Equality said men had long been socialised to believe that, as heads of households, they were not expected to perform household chores or take responsibility for raising children.

He said traditional leaders should educate boys and men differently, noting that women could no longer be expected to shoulder the burden of managing households and raising children alone when men were equally capable of sharing these responsibilities.

Mr Lunga said men and boys could perform the same household and childcare duties as women, including cleaning, cooking and taking sick children to medical facilities.

“Today we have women chiefs and they are not doing anything less than men chiefs. We have women CEOs and they perform well like men,” he said.

He said such examples demonstrated the need to challenge traditional beliefs about the roles of men and women to promote equality and shared responsibility in families and communities.

Mr Lunga called on dikgosi to use their influence to teach boys that household chores and childcare were not exclusively women’s responsibilities. He said men should be encouraged to participate actively in family life rather than view such duties as incompatible with their masculinity.

Meanwhile, he urged traditional leaders to prioritise teaching boys effective communication skills, saying poor communication could contribute to conflict and violence in relationships.

Mr Lunga said some men ended up in prison after failing to communicate effectively when faced with relationship challenges, with disputes sometimes escalating into violence against women, including assault and murder.

He emphasised that some disagreements could be resolved through open and respectful communication rather than violence.

 

He urged dikgosi to help shape a generation of boys who understood the importance of expressing their feelings, resolving disagreements peacefully and treating women with respect.

He said traditional leaders had an important role to play in challenging harmful gender stereotypes, promoting shared family responsibilities and encouraging non-violent ways of resolving conflict. ENDS