Men's & fathers' rights

The manosphere contributes to violence against women by men both within and outside the manosphere. The manosphere is a diverse online ecosystem of anti-feminist and male supremacist communities, influencers, and platforms.

The manosphere - a diverse ecosystem of anti-feminist and male supremacist online communities, influencers, and platforms - has emerged over the past decade as a significant site of gendered harm. From men’s rights activist (MRA) networks and incel forums to “red pill” influencers and anti-feminist social media channels, these online environments shape how some men and boys understand masculinity, relationships, and gender relations.

Amidst the backlash against gender equality and progressive social change, we often talk about the need to not just call men out, but also to call them in. But how do we do that? 

Yesterday, two things happened that made me empathize with boys and men who are drawn to the manosphere.

The first was that I had a friend – who I’ll refer by the pseudonym Hayden, for his privacy – disclose an instance of sexual harassment that happened to him in a place where he normally feels very safe.

"10 Ways to Engage Men and Boys to Counter Backlash" is a fact sheet and guidance note for activists, academics and practitioners in gender equality, human rights, democracy and climate justice.

In recent years, there has been a significant rise in the number of young people engaging with online influencers, including those who post motivational health and fitness videos on social media. Online influencers can have a positive impact on their followers by providing them with information (albeit of varying degrees of accuracy), entertainment and opportunities for learning and skill development.

Over the past couple of years, Andrew Tate, a kickboxer from Britain, has emerged as an online star for disaffected, often highly misogynist young men. Starting as a professional kickboxer, he became an online celebrity after making repeated highly misogynistic statements. By 2022 Tate was the most Google searched figure in the world, promoting misogynist, pro- traditional masculinity, ideas to millions of young men.

To what extent do people in Australia have anti-feminist attitudes? A number of Australian surveys support the point that significant proportions of the population endorse anti-feminist beliefs that men are treated unfairly or discriminated against.

How can boys and men be encouraged to respond critically to the anti-women ideologies of the manosphere, the network of websites, blogs, and online forums promoting sexism and opposition to feminism? This page highlights key resources for engaging men and boys.

Men’s rights advocates (MRAs) are deeply hostile to feminism and feminists. And in turn, MRAs are deeply hostile to pro-feminist men or male feminists.

But *how* MRAs criticise and attack male feminists betrays their own low opinions of men and their hypocrisy.

This account comes from my experience of being a visible pro-feminist male advocate, on Twitter and elsewhere, and noticing the kinds of attacks that anti-feminist men or MRAs direct at me and other pro-feminist men.

1) MRAs write off large numbers of men.