Earlier this year, we wrote about Trad Wives, a group of women wanting to embrace what they believe to be a “traditional” interpretation of femininity. This time, we are exploring a different phenomenon, but one which shares some common features with Trad Wives: namely, the Men’s Rights Movement. Both of these labels encompass a number of disparate alliances with varying (and sometimes clashing) agendas and are widely perceived to be anti-feminist. Furthermore, both have dark associations with Far/Alt-Right politics, with debate raging as to whether this is a fringe or fundamental aspect of the group.
The Men’s Rights Movement is, at one level, what it says on the tin, a collection of interests concerned to address asserted systemic injustices and challenges faced by men in modern society, at times bringing together people who would ordinarily inhabit very different worlds, such as former gay porn stars and conservative Evangelicals. The grievances swirling around cover an immense territory, ranging over dissatisfaction about the legality of ritual male circumcision, frustration around inequalities confronting fathers engaged in court battles over children, horror at male suicide statistics and a perception that men are discriminated against in the workplace. A narrative sometimes simmering just below the surface, and on other occasions bubbling out openly, in a white-hot lava-flow of rage, is that feminism has gone too far and it has become a hostile force to men. They would suggest that women now run the world, enjoying a host of unfair perks, whilst shamelessly waving a fraudulent victim status in order to work their ticket.
Needless to say, this interpretation of reality contains more holes than Swiss cheese. However, angrily striving to shout it down may not be the best response. Firstly, there is a real risk of getting into an unedifying and surreal game of misery Top Trumps, which benefits nobody. For example, countering figures about the number of male lives tragically lost to suicide with statistics of self-harm and suicide-attempts amongst women. Secondly, genuine issues faced by men and boys in our society should not be swept under the carpet. In England and Wales at present, there are legitimate concerns around gender disparities in educational performance, male mental health, fathers navigating the family courts, as well as the social and cultural barriers and expectations faced by males.
The fact that women in general encounter different, and arguably greater challenges, does nothing to assist men and boys who find themselves on the receiving end of a concrete injustice. Unless we pay attention to the needs of all members of society, we have little hope of making things better for the whole community, as when an individual is unfairly crushed, nobody wins. For example, if a sixteen-year-old male student shies away from a career as a nanny or a primary school teacher because of prejudice, and does something for which he has less aptitude and enthusiasm, the world loses, and the situation is not somehow magically made acceptable by a cosmic calculus, in which more women than men have been denied their first choice of profession.
Therefore, it is crucial that we do take particular problems and injustices seriously, and if we do not do so, then there is a real risk of driving aggrieved people towards the more negative elements within the Men’s Rights Movement. If individuals feel dismissed and ignored elsewhere, they are likely to be drawn to those who appear to be sympathetic, even if they are pedalling an irrational or dangerous philosophy.
Moreover, significantly, if as a society we are committed to human rights, we should be concerned for the rights of all humans, not just “humans like me”. A failure to see beyond “my own concerns” is not only a key part of the problem with the Men’s Rights Movement, but also of some of the less constructive responses to it. When any contingent part of society is oppressed or treated badly, it can’t be denied that there is a collective cost from the conflict, resentment and lost opportunity. Although it is, undoubtedly, illogical to attack feminism and claim to be doing it from a “human rights” standpoint, which is essentially the thrust of the Men’s Rights Movement (a recent Chicago convention even had someone dressed up as Thomas Paine), it is equally irrational to be dismissive of the concerns of men, or indeed others, who feel that their rights are not been respected, simply because they are perceived to come from a privileged group. The truth which should not be overlooked, however glaringly obvious this may sound, is that the addressees and recipients of human rights law are human beings. All of us.
Related Articles
Ex-Porn star and activist explores men’s rights issues BBC News (21/4/20)
Trad Wives and the Importance of Equality Law Balancing Beliefs (29/1/20)
Four Men’s Rights Activism Myths Busted New Statesman (31/1/19)
