Given all of the articles out on the internet based around women’s equality, I feel that it’s only fair to provide some balance by publishing something about how men deserve equality too.
Over the last few decades, women’s push for equal rights on women’s issues has surged forward, with great and justified results. However, we now find ourselves in a situation where society’s narrative is flooded with a focus on women’s rights and women’s issues; but what about men?
Who is Fighting for Men’s Rights?
No doubt feminists will argue that it’s men who already have all the rights they need and that due to “patriarchy” it’s women who are forging ahead in a system that’s built against their interests.
Once upon a time, this argument may have had a basis, but even some feminists today would agree that modern western society has come a long way on women’s issues. My question is, if the conditions of equality for women have advanced so vastly in the West, then why hasn’t our society’s focus on gender issues shifted to reflect the fairer reality in which we now live?
Women have fought for their equal rights for decades, and the fact that over 50% of all managers in America in 2020 were female is just one small example that women have achieved parity. I could list more statistics that demonstrate advancements regarding women’s truly equal place in society. And it’s absolutely true that globally, the fight for women’s equality still continues – and needs to.
However, there’s an overwhelming amount of attention and focus on these issues already. This article is about men’s equal place in our society and the issues men face that even after decades of discussion about “gender equality” remain unanswered and unfair toward men.
Why Are We Only Focused on Women’s Issues?
We now find ourselves in a situation where the spotlight has been on women’s rights for so long, that men are left wondering when we’re going to tackle unfair institutions, laws, and social biases that harm men? While western society has been lifting up women with one hand, it has continued bashing down men with the other hand in ways that society traditionally always has.
It’s now men that have to fight for equal rights to see their children in separations, it’s men who are doubted in instances of workplace sexism, and even situations of domestic violence.
Furthermore, many men feel that women’s parenting rights are prioritized by the legal system, and men assumed guilty for even the slightest suspicion of sexism or violence towards women; when women don’t seem to face anywhere near the same level of suspicion when accused.
At one time when women truly were primarily raising the children or dependent upon men, these biases might have been understandable, but these situations are largely relics of the past. We are not living in the dark ages anymore, or even the 1940s. Now I’m afraid that all of these remaining social biases are just general unjustified bias towards men.
Western Society Needs a Men’s Movement
But who is out there fighting for men’s rights? Well, it turns out that there is such a thing as Men’s Rights Advocates (MRA), but you don’t hear much about them. And you rarely see anything about MRA in the mainstream media other than negative hit pieces by feminist writers.
Maybe it’s time that a movement for men’s rights becomes mainstream and supported by both men and women who truly believe in equal rights and gender equality.
There is a commonly accepted premise, that as new information comes to light, people are allowed to change their stance and thus their actions about a situation or topic. Well, newsflash! The new information is that western women have received tremendous piles of equality and fairness that they have always deserved. In fact, they’ve had that equality for quite a while now. Yes, there is always room for improvement, but why hasn’t society’s provision of services, support, and recognition, also been adjusted to reflect womens’ newfound independence and financial and political power?
Indeed, all of the outdated social biases and institutions that have always harmed men and helped women remain solidly in place because all discussions around gender issues up until now have completely ignored them.
Men Have Been Neglected by Society
“Where focus goes, energy flows”
This is a quote commonly used by Tony Robbins, the world-renowned personal development coach. Just as it says, because society’s focus has been primarily on women’s equality, this is where most of the energy for gender equality has been placed.
Yet, men have always been neglected by society in many ways – and they still are. You only need to look at the statistics for men’s mental health and suicide risk compared to women, to see evidence of this.
Having worked with men experiencing addiction, homelessness, and mental health issues, I have witnessed first-hand how men’s needs are largely overlooked by society until. This is largely due to neglect and a lack of practical support in every area of service provision, such as – education, mental health, physical health, emotional health, the legal system, and employment.
Men are only given attention when they “become a problem”. And by a problem, I’m referring to society’s definition of them, not mine. Sadly, men are far more likely to receive support only when they have already reached a situation of crisis. This often leaves them vulnerable to addiction and crime, both as a perpetrator, and a victim.
The Facts
- Men are more likely to experience homelessness than women.
- Men are more likely to experience drug addiction than women.
- Men are more likely to be convicted of a crime than women.
- Men are more likely to be the victims of violent crime than women.
All of these statistics are symptoms of neglect. They are the consequences of a lack of support and necessary service provision for men’s needs.
Men’s needs have been neglected for decades and this has manifested in the above statistics. Men are then scapegoated, blamed, and shamed for the failings of the system, instead of receiving the understanding and recognition that they deserve.
Men Are Awesome
The truth is that men are awesome, and masculinity deserves far more recognition for all of the positive things that it contributes to society, just like femininity. Men form part of the backbone of our world, just like women do.
Femininity brings so much love, knowledge, and positivity to our culture, and so does masculinity. Where would we all be without our male teachers or coaches, doctors and surgeons, military forces, great male artists, scientists, writers, and philosophers? We wouldn’t be living in as advanced civilization as we are now, that’s for sure.
It’s time for politicians and governments to start putting some energy toward men’s needs, men’s rights, and men’s services, just like they have done for women.
It’s time for a change; our fathers, brothers, sons, uncles, and friends deserve equality too.
