Why Feminism is for men too – Men Talk Feminism

The equality in our society is out of balance due to the way men have fabricated it, there for it is for us men to use our unfair advantage to help make a change

It relieves them of the broken social pressures that have been placed on them to be a certain type of person, giving them freedom to a place in an equal society.

Only recently I’ve embraced it, previously I supported it, now I feel more comfortable to be a part of it

Because it is men who benefit from the oppression of women- the dismantling of that manufactured way of things being is relevant to everyone.

It frees men from the ideas that exist at the root of patriarchy about the role and expression of masculinity in the world as well as creating a world in which the women men interact with on a daily basis are free, safe and without burden

Tbh being brought up in a matriarchal Caribbean family I’d say it’s hard not to see the need for / to not agree with feminism - even if you don’t have the language for it.

The Patriarchy hurts everyone. It's the reason little boys are told they mustn't cry. It's reason why men can't share their feelings and consequently suicide is the biggest killer of young men. It's the reason men have to spend so much of their live being scared of showing weakness in front of other men who have been taught that "might is right". It's the reason that so many men are the victims of Male Violence.

The cure for The Patriarchy and the Toxic Masculinity it causes is Feminism. Too many men wrongly believe that "Feminism" is about "making things better for women at the expense of men" but the opposite is true. A world where men, women and Non Binary people are all equal and all have equity is a world where we all benefit. Men would no longer have to live up to all the macho bullshit that ruins so many male (as well as female and non binary) lives.

I grew up racist, sexist, homophobic, misogynistic & ableist. I was a product of my environment. We grow up repeating tropes to fit in with our contemporaries. Even if you don't actually believe that say cat calling women is ok it takes a very brave person to "spoil all the other guy's fun". We all want to belong to "our tribe". For me it was just the realisation that I didn't *have* to cling to my conditioning. From there I just started to look with less forgiving eyes on my past conduct and behaviour and made the decision to try to be better. There is no shame in being taught to behave badly but there is a terrible shame in not wanting to make the effort to be better. From there I started reading more & came to the realisation that Feminism actually sets men free from a lot of horrible stuff. Which is a bonus.

Because it can help change mentalities all other the world and create equal chances for everyone

Maybe some men won't be ashamed to to have some job That is being called "woman job" like nurses etcc

I've always embraced feminism in some way but those last 5 years it changed because I had a friend who was beaten by her husband. And also woman don't have the same salary as men do, having the same job

When I first embraced feminism, it was part of my identity as a liberal. I was anti-sexist, anti-racist, anti-many things. Feminism was more personal, as my favourite people were women (mother, lover, friends, colleagues) and I could see their reduced life chances due to sexism. I came to see it as much more. The liberation of women from their gendered roles and the liberation of men from theirs was the same fight. I was suffering from my poor fit with the male stereotype and other men were suffering too. How many were truly happy with the macho model and felt comfortable in that role. I suspect a small minority. For the majority, therefore, feminism is of critical relevance. For as well as the feelgood factor of striving to ease the suffering of mothers, sisters, girlfriends, wives and daughters they can pave the way to the end of their own suffering too.

They will get to inhabit a better place to be a man. A big part of tearing down the walls constraining women is to recognise the value of many of the characteristics seen as typically feminine in both sexes. These “feminine” qualities are dismissed as unimportant and unworthy of status in women and treated as weaknesses in men that must be driven out in order to achieve acceptance and success. The male stereotype can end up as a collection of absences of good qualities which make up a nice person. We are left with strength, resolve, honour and the protection of the weak – good qualities for sure, but not enough to make up a rounded human being and not exclusively male. My hope for the future generations is the freedom to be themselves, with more flexible models for what being human entails. The more we embrace feminism as our fight too, the more likely that is to happen.

I grew up in a house where casual sexism was a factor of everyday life. My time at school did little to counter these narratives. I did not internalise these views, and certainly knew that I was not keen on the prescribed view of manhood, but I did not know any different so would never have challenged it. Things changed when I went to university and got exposed to a very different set of views. My girlfriend was a feminist and explained to me that things didn’t have to be this way. I wanted to believe her. It still proved a challenge to change my behaviour, motivated by a desire to fit in, but I managed to find my way. I withdrew from the sexist banter and made sure I treated women with the respect they deserved. I would gently call out friends and colleagues for their sexist behaviour. Now I no longer fear the rejection of other men and freely express my feminist views.