Vector halftone smoke effect. ©Kundra/ Shutterstock ID: 749707636
Welcome to the ALIGN platform

Advancing Learning & Innovation on Gender Norms (ALIGN)

ALIGN leads research and knowledge sharing on gender and social norms. We explore key drivers of transformative change, building insight from our own research and our ever-expanding community of practice.

About ALIGN

Report

30 April 2026

Online violence against women in politics: what shapes political party responses to technology-facilitated gender-based violence?
Author: Ján Michalko

Published by: ALIGN

A woman looks at candidate posters for Tokyo’s Governor election, Japan, 2020. © Ned Snowman | Shutterstock

Toolkit

30 April 2026

Online violence against women in politics: how to support political parties to address technology-facilitated gender-based violence
Authors: Ján Michalko, Diana Jiménez Thomas Rodriguez

Published by: ALIGN

Flags of murdered Brazilian politician, Marielle Franco, waved during the Rio de Janeiro Carnival. Brazil, 2019. © Shutter Photo Press | Shutterstock

Blog

29 April 2026

Who decides? Masculinity, consent and power in young men’s relationships in India
Author: Aishwarya Sahay

Published by: ALIGN

Women with a banner emphasising the importance of ‘No’ as the basis for women's consent during a rally in Kolkata to remember the life of a gang rape victim from New Delhi, India. 16 December 2014. © arindambanerjee | Shutterstock.com

Report

2 March 2026

From margins to leadership: caste and gender dynamics in India’s local governance
Authors: Rahul Kumar, Ekata Bakshi

Published by: ALIGN, PDAG

Cover of report

Blog

12 January 2026

Confronting efforts to dismantle gender equality and inclusion
Author: Caroline Harper

Published by: ODI Global

Protesters near the White House in Washington, D.C., USA, as street murals as dismantled behind. 14 March 2025. © Ashish Kiphayat | Shutterstock ID: 2615314669

Blog

5 January 2026

What were the big wins and losses of 2025?
Authors: Emilie Tant, Prerna Dhote, ALIGN Team

Published by: ALIGN

A newspaper on a wooden desk - Reflections on 2025 © Zerbor | Shutterstock ID: 2707617607
View all latest resources

Spotlight: Backlash

Briefing paper

10 July 2023

Facing the backlash: what is fuelling anti-feminist and anti-democratic forces?
Authors: Ayesha Khan, Emilie Tant, Caroline Harper

Published by: ALIGN

Facing the backlash image
Report
How women's movements lead demands for democracy in the face of backlash and politicised religion
Authors: Ayesha Khan, Sam Sharp
Report
Whose hands on our education? Identifying and countering gender-restrictive backlash
Authors: Sophia M. D’Angelo, Rachel Marcus, Ayesha Khan, Olha Homonchuk
Briefing paper
Feminist responses to ‘norm-spoiling’ at the United Nations
Author: Rebecca Holmes
View all backlash resources
collaborate image

Join the ALIGN community

ALIGN thrives on collaborating with other specialists in the field of gender norms and we invite you to be a part of that. There are many ways you can collaborate and join our community of practice, click to find out more.

Collaborate with ALIGN

Themes

Aurat march at Frere Hall Karachi, Pakistan, on International women's Day 2021. © Aqib Yasin | Shutterstock ID: 1931666027
Backlash
A young women's hand with henna tattoos and a diamond ring. ©infinity21/shutterstock
Child marriage
A young woman engineer checking solar panel at solar power plant © Monthira | Shutterstock ID: 786784237
Economic empowerment
At student writing on a board. © Sarah Farhat / World Bank ID: 20170317-Tanzania-Farhat-8282
Education
#NiUnaMenos Placard with eye and tear drop painting
Gender-based violence
Women in Indonesia leading the COVID-19 Prevention Response. © UN Women/Putra Djohan and Ali Lutfi
Health
Gay Pride celebration and parade in Durban City, South Africa © Timothy Hodgkinson | Shutterstock ID: 665899426
LGBTQI+
A close-up of a phone screen with the Twitter logo on it ©i_am_zews | Shutterstock ID:2071249703
Media: social and broadcast
Two men sitting on the grass with backs to camera
Men, boys and masculinities
Discussing local governance at a Rwanda community village meeting. © Subhrajit123/ Stock Photo ID: 2011588205
Political norms
A feminist march in Mexico city. ©clicksdemexico | Shutterstock ID: 1933279691
Social movements

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