10. Women's business? A social network study of the influence of men on decision-making regarding female genital mutilation/cutting in Senegal

There exist two dominant but conflicting views on the role of men in the perpetuation female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C). One paints men as culprits, with FGM/C viewed as a manifestation of patriarchal oppression of women. An alternative portrays men as relatively uninvolved in a practice described as "women's business." While much has been learned about social norms surrounding FGM/C, less is known about the interactions that shape views of FGM/C decision-makers, including those with men. To fill this gap, we conducted a qualitative network study in two regions of Senegal, producing detailed information about the contextual factors that are shaping and altering social networks. Change is unfolding differently in each region of Senegal, neither of which support prevailing views on the role of men. In southern Senegal, the criminalization has driven FGM/C underground, and the extended family, including fathers, are increasingly excluded from decision-making. In central Senegal networks are influenced by the law, but also by the recent acceptability of inter-ethnic (and FGM/C discordant) marriage. This is reconfiguring networks to include men who advocate for abandonment of FGM/C. We suggest that the shifting role of men and social networks offer important insights for optimizing targeted interventions to end FGM/C.