A new study says that parenthood pushes men and women in opposite political directions:
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Last year, Australian feminist blogger Blue Milk posted "10 questions on feminist motherhood," which a range of mom bloggers have tackled.
I wondered: Could profeminist fathers adapt these questions for themselves? If yes, would it be productive, for them and for everyone else? And I thought: Why not give it a try and see what happens?
What is feminism? It is a political movement supporting the equality of sexes in all aspects of public and private life. I often hear men wonder what they can do to support feminism. Here are 10 suggestions for all of us:
ISSUE: Four Latin American NGOs have collaborated with PROMUNDO Institute (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) since 1998 to call greater attention to the needs and realities of young men ages 15-24 in sexual and reproductive health, HIV/AIDS and gender violence prevention, and to engage them in HIV/AIDS prevention.
This 48-page report provides a detailed review of effective practice in violence prevention education among men, drawing on literature on both adult education and violence prevention. It focuses in particular on efforts among male athletes in professional sporting and other settings, as well as those using ‘peer mentor’ approaches.
Allegations of sexual assault and harassment by rugby league and Australian Football League (AFL) players in 2004 and 2005 put the link between sport and violence against women firmly on the public agenda. There was widespread media coverage of the allegations and substantial community debate. In response to these allegations and the issues surrounding them, both rugby league and AFL codes initiated education programs among their players.
Involving men in our work towards gender equality is by no means a new idea, but there remains reluctance within women’s movements to promote or embrace it. Engaging men is critical to achieving gender justice; thus this primer addresses strategies and tools for working with men.
... While the concept of Gender Equality is not new, what is relatively new is the concerted effort to revisit men's roles and identities in order to significantly increase men's involvement in gender equal societies. The current policy brief aims to present key rationales, identify principal challenges, and recommend actionable strategies for engaging boys, young and adult men in efforts to achieve gender equality. The goal of the policy brief is to provide policy makers, practitioners, business and the civil society leaders with a framework for developing strategies, implementing programs, and evaluating progress of engaging men in gender equality efforts in all spheres of life.
Most men know that domestic violence and sexual assault are wrong, but we have done little to reduce this violence in our lives, families and communities. Too many men believe common myths about violence, have ignored women's fears and concerns about their safety, and have stayed silent in the face of other men's violence-supportive attitudes and behaviours. At the same time, a growing number of men in Australia are taking public action to help end violence against women.
The study of men and masculinities (SMM) is gaining recognition as an interdisciplinary field of academic inquiry (Kimmel, Hearn, & Connell, 2005).
SMM originated in and remains largely sympathetic to feminist concerns. It is a constructive response to the diverse changes in men’s lives induced by the ongoing project of women’s liberation, as also by significant shifts in the economy (e.g., the transition from fordism to post-fordism) and society (e.g., changes in the structure of the family). The consequent disruption of the gender roles (e.g., ‘breadwinner’ and ‘protector’) traditionally assigned to men caused a crisis of hegemonic, patriarchal masculinity.