Feminism – it\u2019s a word that seems to anger people more than bring them together. Even self-described anti-feminists have admitted that there are a myriad of problems still facing women, particularly in developing nations. There are societal and institutionalized forms of exploitation that women face that urgently need to be addressed. If men can agree that there are problems that have not been addressed, then why aren\u2019t more men actively engaging with women\u2019s rights movements?<\/p>\n
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Erasmus student Agathe said: \u201cMen are not in a good place to fully grasp the experience of what it means to be a woman – hence a lot of them don\u2019t \u2018see\u2019 how bad it is. Some of them think there are more important things that need to be tackled. Some don\u2019t feel comfortable being in a movement not directly \u2018for\u2019 or \u2018about\u2019 them. Some don\u2019t want to lose out on their position of power over women.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Sam, a 2nd<\/sup> engineering student gave a similar response adding: \u201cA lot of men see feminism and women\u2019s rights as personal attacks. I think men believe that women and men already are equal so any push for equality takes away from them.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Another common answer was that our culture still has a stigma attached to participating in any women\u2019s activities. Toxic masculinity is a huge issue among men nowadays, with societal peer pressure stopping men from showing support for women\u2019s rights. This only adds to deep rooted opinions that female empowerment happens at the cost of men\u2019s freedom. Others think the movement isn\u2019t something they\u2019d want to join in the first place, with some men saying that \u201cmen are quite often ostracized within feminist movements, even by so-called \u2018liberal\u2019 feminists\u201d.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n To counter these issues and get men more interested in women\u2019s rights, there needs to be more communication around women\u2019s issues between genders and a better understanding on what women want, their goals and how they can be achieved. It is clear from the people I have spoken to that there are issues that need to be addressed before women are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There is a taboo feeling amongst men about getting involved in women\u2019s rights or feminism. Some men want to leave women to it, others feel they\u2019re not welcome and others still feel they do not have any advantage over women, despite numerous studies and research proving otherwise. Anti- feminists promote the agenda that further steps women take to liberation will make men feel like they have less power than they already have. There has been a concentrated effort online among men to discredit feminist positions and to paint their voices as those of crazy people who already have plenty.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Throughout history, there have been plenty of examples of men helping with women\u2019s liberation. They ensure that they do not fight for women but with women to achieve their goals. One doesn\u2019t have to look hard to find examples. Many revolutions have been pushed with women\u2019s liberation in mind. Georgian Activist I. Dzhugashvili wrote that \u201cNot a single great movement of the oppressed in the history of mankind has been able to do without the participation of working women\u201d. Further afield in The People\u2019s Republic of China are the famous words of Mao Tse-Tung: \u201cWomen hold up half the sky\u201d. UL now even boasts its\u2019 own Feminist Society, with both female and male members making up the ever-growing society.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The whole issue regarding feminism and the reason why men don\u2019t seem to be interested is best summed up by 3rd<\/sup> nursing student Laura who says: <\/em>\u201cPersonally I think the reason is threefold: a lack of communication about women\u2019s issues between genders, a lack of understanding that feminism is an umbrella term and effects all genders (toxic masculinity for example) and the institutionalised sexism that has built up since the industrial revolution. Things are getting better though because people are realising (slowly) that most feminists aren\u2019t the cranky, bra burning stereotype, but ordinary women who are sick of putting up with this bullshit on a daily basis.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n