If feminist attention to men is to make a real contribution to progressive social change, 3 conditions must be met. Michael Flood on the ‘turn to men’ in gender politics and its implications. In full here: xyonline.net/content/turn-m… 1/7
1) Our vision of the problem and the solution must be much more robustly feminist. Squarely focused on the structural, material, and institutional dimensions of gender inequality, how men and masculinities are implicated in these, and thus the need for their transformation. 2/7
Efforts focused on men should involve a much more substantial call to action. They should set the bar high. They should expect that men will strive for gender-egalitarian identities, practices, and interpersonal relations and contribute to community action. 3/7
Minor declarations of support for or identification with feminism from men are far from enough, and men must also *do the work* of activism. If men are to claim feminism, they must *practise* feminism. 4/7
The organisations that sign on e.g. as supporters of HeForShe or similar initiatives must be accountable for their gendered processes and structures. And men engaged in collective change must ally with feminist groups, women’s movements, and other advocacy for social justice. 5/7
3) We must continue to assert the substance of feminism, making claims about what is & is not feminist and what it means to claim the label ‘feminist’. We shouldn't expect feminism to be universally embraced, because to do so is to undermine its political capacity and insight 6/7
So, not all men can be feminists, and some men do not deserve the name. But, men have a vital role to play in supporting change towards gender equality.
Full journal article here: xyonline.net/content/turn-m… 7/7
Full journal article here: xyonline.net/content/turn-m… 7/7
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