By: Vini Rupchandani
Despite the technological and institutional advances that mankind has made in the twenty-first-century, we still struggle with the basic idea of providing equal rights to all. Feminism, which is defined as the ideology that aims to establish complete equality of the sexes, has become a popular social movement across different contexts ranging from personal to political. However, a common challenge that all gender equality-related movements face is the lack of male participation, despite the potential and important role men can play in these discussions. Feminism has come to be linked with the terms “man-hating” in the past decade, and this association is extremely problematic: we cannot talk about globally combating gender roles when only half of the population, namely women, feel invited to participate. The male population has been showing increasing levels of resistance when asked to identify as a feminist and stand in solidarity with women. Furthermore, men in modern society struggle to express how gender roles cage them and feel alienated from discussions concerning gender stereotypes. To obtain true equality, we must empower all genders. Many people question the need for men in gender equality-related movements. This raises the question, what is the role of men in the feminist movement?
Many activists believe that it is essential for men to participate in feminist movements not only to successfully empower women but also to highlight how gender roles discriminate against the male population. When speaking about gender inequality, we often only think about the struggles that women face. However, men are constantly caged by gender stereotypes too, and it is important to address these issues to attain true equality. Furthermore, this also helps men identify with gender discrimination more closely, encouraging them to become a part of discussions related to it. Men and women need to work together to empower each other rather than working as competitors and that stereotypes around women being timid and submissive will partly degenerate as an effect of destroying the stereotypes that cage men into aggressive and dominant roles.
Many opponents believe that including men in discussions related to feminism would threaten the central idea of women empowerment, by occupying spaces that meant to amplify women’s voices and preventing them from standing up for themselves independently. For example, women feel more comfortable sharing their experiences and opinions on sensitive topics like sexual violence in “women-only” spaces. Research also finds that while some believe that men should use their power to highlight women’s opinions, others believe that it is crucial for women to represent themselves and their issues independently. Although these views raise valid concerns, they completely ignore the fact that gender equality and feminism are not topics that exclusively concern women. They fail to address how gender roles cage men and discriminate against them.
As Emma Watson stated in her opening speech for the campaign HeForShe, “We don’t often talk about men being imprisoned by gender stereotypes, but I can see that they are and that when they are free, things will change for women as a natural consequence. If men don’t have to be aggressive in order to be accepted, women won’t feel compelled to be submissive. If men don’t have to control, women won’t have to be controlled.” When I was a kid, aged eight, I used to see how much my father would work daily and the fact that he never got to spend much time with us. Yet, every single year I noticed that people would praise mothers endlessly on Mothers Day and have grand celebrations and messages circulating to thank the marvel that women are; taking on multiple roles simultaneously. While I, as a girl, completely agree with that and cherish how we are celebrated, I wonder why Father’s Day is so undermined and International Men’s Day is hardly even spoken about.
I can see how gender roles affect both my male and female peers when girls around me have to think twice about wearing short clothes outside with the fear of being eve-teased, or when boys struggle to express their emotions with the fear of appearing less “masculine.” However, people are less aware of how men are victims of gender roles: for example, many people know that women are more likely to have depression as compared to men, but not many are aware that men have a much higher chance to commit suicide. I believe that topics like “men’s role in feminism” are extremely sensitive, and hence need to be handled responsibly. We must constantly educate ourselves on the topic of “feminism,” re-learn the many ideas that society has already inscribed in our minds with respect to gender equality (for example, the idea that gender equality is primarily only a women’s issue when in reality it affects all genders,) and most importantly, express our views with caution.