International Men’s Day is undoubtedly controversial. Its critics point out that unlike International Women’s Day, which had its genesis in initiatives of the United Nations and other highly respected cross-border organisations, International Men’s Day was triggered by male pressure groups, many of which regarded feminism as a threatening force. In light of this, some people understandably consider the event negatively. Nevertheless in our view the concept of an International Men’s Day is useful, and deserves to be put to good use for two principal reasons: firstly, men may be better placed to develop their whole potential as a result of this new approach; and secondly, it can be beneficial for societal perceptions of human rights.
There is clearly a plethora of social and cultural issues effecting our perceptions of boys and men, the expectations placed upon them, and the knock on consequences which these have for the health, experiences and life-chances of individuals. For instance, few people deny that we need to seriously address the challenges facing us around men’s mental health and suicide rates, proper recognition and care for male victims of domestic and sexual violence (whether from male or female perpetrators), the under-achievement of boys in some academic contexts, as well as the under-representation of males in certain professions (e.g. nursing and primary education), all due in some part to the gender stereotyping to which children are subjected from birth onwards.
Walking through the children’s clothing or toy departments of mainstream shops is very telling. The merchandise targeted at females is sparkly, mainly pink and purple, and focused on nurturing, domestic or artistic activities. In contrast, boys are expected to love spaceships, dinosaurs, violence and dirt. This is damaging for girls, but every bit as harmful for boys. It is not rocket science to observe that sending powerful, all pervasive messages that if you are male/female you must be/do/like X,Y,Z is damaging to the whole of society. We must be much better at allowing men and boys, as well as women and girls, the freedom to be themselves.
Which brings us to our second point: if it is presented and approached correctly, International Men’s Day can help human rights more widely flourish. In light of the associations which some people carry (for valid reasons) between International Men’s Day, and a backlash against female empowerment, there has been a tendency to respond with a list of ways in which women face greater challenges than men. That kind of approach is both missing the point, and playing straight into the hands of the anti-feminist campaigners, because human rights are not any sort of competition or a perverse game of misery Top Trumps. In other words, the fact that Group A might have more challenges that Group B, does not mean that we should ignore Group B’s problems as inconsequential.
Even more worrying though, a narrative of competing human rights is exactly what those who object to women’s rights on the grounds of supposed male oppression want: as these people are determined to push the story “Don’t help them, our interests are opposed”. Yet in reality, everyone benefits when everyone’s rights are protected, and perpetuating a “them and us” stance is destructive. If for example, a man lives with untreated mental health issues, or a male teenager with massive potential is dissuaded from a career working with pre-school children, this outcome is tragic not only for the individuals concerned, but a loss for society as a whole. It is illogical to suggest that tackling the underlying causes of such situations is somehow going to give rise to a denial of the myriad of barriers and difficulties faced by women.
A commitment to human rights means a commitment to the rights of all people, even those who are not “like me”. Furthermore, only caring about issues which have a direct impact on ourselves is a disastrous approach. For a start, all of us, in the course of our life time, will find ourselves within a group which is marginalised or vulnerable in one way or another (e.g. as children/teenagers, and if we live long enough, older persons, equally we might well suffer some form of mental illness or physical impairment, we may go through a period of struggling with poverty, or live in a context where we are in a racial, linguistic or cultural minority). Even from the point of view of pragmatic self-interest, it makes sense to be alive to the issues and inequalities which suffuse our society, because we never know when we might be on the receiving end. Yet from an ideological and moral point of view, such a self-centred approach is indefensible if we are to promote any form of human rights: we either believe that everyone has equal dignity and worth or we don’t.
If we do consider that all human rights matter, then a time to focus on special concerns relating to men and boys is a valuable contribution, and it is unnecessary to give oxygen to the minority of people who think men are under siege from a feminist onslaught and need protection. The rest of us have got plenty of useful things to debate, and this meaningful process can benefit men, and society more generally.
Related Stories
Should we be celebrating International Men’s Day? (Forbes Magazine 19/11/19)
International Men’s Day isn’t just unnecessary, it’s dangerous (Varisty 16/11/16)
Need reasons why we don’t need International Men’s Day? Allow me to enlighten you ( The Independent 18/11/15)
