Pro-feminist men

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Pro-feminist men are considered by some to be a stream of the modern men's movement sympathetic towards feminism, that is they are pro-feminist. It seeks to add a male voice and advocate change by men in their gender relations and social, political and institutional structures. It can be contrasted to men's liberation, which seeks to emancipate men in like manner to which women were liberated by the women's movement and feminism.

Unlike other parts of the men's movement, pro-feminists have been reluctant to focus too much on how men are also the victims of patriarchy, largely because this has often made men's suffering the focus of debate to the exclusion of women's issues.

Issues on which pro-feminists usually campaign include violence against women, sexism, inequalities in pay and promotion at work, pornography, sex trafficking, and women's rights to birth control.

Some men's pro-feminism is informed by gut feelings and conversations with their partners, sisters, mothers and friends while others' is informed by contemporary feminist theory. Likewise, the motivations and goals of pro-feminist men are varied, these include:

  • a sympathy for feminism revolving around a simple acceptance that men and women are equal and should thus be treated equally, that is, women should have the access to jobs and areas of public life as men do.
  • a passionate and profound commitment that has changed every corner of their lives.
  • a radical questioning of traditional Western models of thought, of the ways in which these privilege masculine ways of being and knowing.

As there is variety in the feminist movement, there is also variety in pro-feminist men's movement. There is general agreement that men profit from current hegemonic patriarchal relationships to the detriment of women.

Those on the right usually stress the effects of individual behaviours and change, while those on the left focus on institutionally based discrimination. Another distinct difference is based on whether campaigning should be 'hard' or 'soft'. Some prefer a tougher stance and a focus on the more brutalising effects of patriarchy, whilst others are concerned that campaigns that attempt to make men feel guilty will not be as effective as an invitation to personal change and development in a way that redefines men's relationship to women and other men.

Contents

[edit] Development

Men's pro-feminism is like any other set of values, beliefs or political activities. It comes from deeply felt personal experiences, from particular relationships and intimacies and loyalties, from other ethical or political involvements and commitments.

An eloquent description of how men come to the struggle for women's equality is given by radical pro-feminist John Stoltenberg, in his book Refusing to be a Man:

"I'm thinking of those men whose feminist convictions spring from loyalty to a particular woman in their lives-a mother, a lover, a cherished friend-someone who has brought them to an intimate, almost insider's view of what life for women is like under male supremacy. These men have made a vow to stand beside her and not abandon her, to wholeheartedly be her ally. For such men, loyalty to a woman's life is experienced as a profound form of intimacy (not a threat to selfhood, as it might be for other men)."
"I'm thinking also of those men whose commitment to feminism draws on their own experience of sexual violence or sexual abuse from other men, perhaps as a child or adolescent. Somehow such men have not paved over what happened to them; rather, they have recognised in it the same dimensions of violence and abuse that women were mobilising to resist. So these men, for their men whose advocacy of feminism derives from other sorts of principled political activism. Coming from the perspective of their pacifism, their anti-racism, or their commitment to economic justice, for instance, these men have grasped the ideals of radical want it? Now suffered the shame of growing up with a sexuality that was not "standard issue." It was a sexuality that longed for partnership and ardent tenderness; it did not stir at dominance and coercion. It was a sexuality that set them apart, whether with women or other men. These men have become, in a sense, dissidents from the sex-class hierarchy in intimacy; and they are gathering courage to defy that hierarchy beyond the bedroom as well."
"I'm thinking also of those men whose advocacy of feminism derives from other sorts of principled political activism. Coming from the perspective of their pacifism, their anti-racism, or their commitment to economic justice, for instance, these men have grasped the ideals of radical want it? Now!"

[edit] Core beliefs

Pro-feminist men are sympathetic to feminist understandings of society.

Pro-feminist men see themselves as wanting the same things that some feminists want: a world in which relations between men and women are peaceful, egalitarian, trusting and joyous; in which neither men nor women are confined into rigid, unhealthy and soul-destroying models of living; in which the rigid division into masculine and feminine disappears.

They believe that:

  • women suffer inequalities and injustices in society, while men receive various forms of power and privilege.
  • the current, dominant model of manhood or masculinity is oppressive to women, as well as limiting for men themselves. Pro-feminists believe that men must take responsibility for their own behaviours and attitudes and work to change those of men in general.
  • both personal and social change are vital.

Just as there is substantial diversity and disagreement within feminism, there is diversity among pro-feminist men. For example, the extent to which men are also limited or harmed by societal gender relations is an area of disagreement. Some men emphasise the privilege received by virtue of being men in a patriarchal or male-dominated society, while others emphasise the ways in which both men and women are constricted by gender roles.

Some pro-feminist men argue that those who emphasise the latter, or who even claim that, like women, men too are "oppressed", are not really pro-feminist or are not pro-feminist enough. Others make a distinction between "radical pro-feminist" and "liberal pro-feminist" men, and emphasise their shared commitments and similarities.

Pro-feminist men typically also recognise the importance of other forms of injustice and other kinds of social relations. Pro-feminists assume that class, race, sexuality, age and other such things are important influences on the relations between and among men and women.

Pro-feminist men who are politically active have tended to concentrate on a number of specific issues, such as men's violence. However, a pro-feminist perspective is applicable to and relevant for any issue and any area of men's lives. For example, issues of child custody and family law have usually been taken up by men who are non-feminist or anti-feminist (such as "men's rights" and "fathers' rights" groups), but there is no reason why they cannot be taken up as areas pro-feminist men's activity too.

[edit] Pro-feminism compared to feminism

Many feminists and pro-feminists believe that it is inappropriate for men to call themselves "feminists". This argument takes a variety of forms, including the following: Feminism is a movement and a body of ideas developed by, for and about women. Men can never fully know what it is like to be a woman. By calling themselves feminists, men could preempt and take over the feminist movement, thus stifling women's concerns and voices. There is also internal disagreement within this "movement", for example with pro-feminist me-wing and socialist movements, anti-racist struggles, and so on). Those who claim that "feminist" can apply equally to men and women often point out that the arguments made by advocates of the term "pro-feminist" are based in notions of biological determinism and essentialism, and are actually contrary to feminist principles. A clear distinction between "feminist" and "pro-feminist" is also troubled by transsexual and transgendered people, whose bodies and performance of a gendered body (in the sense that Judith Butler defines performance) make even the most basic biological distinction between categories of men and women a difficult task.

Pro-feminists claim to be anti-sexist, and anti-patriarchal, but they argue that they are not anti-male. Pro-feminist men are believe that men have potential for good and believe that there is a potential for "backlash" within the men's movement, a potential for the movement to turn towards the defence of what they see as men's privilege and position, and some would say that this has already occurred. While all pro-feminist men assume that men must act to dismantle gender injustice, some argue that a "men's movement" is not the way to do this. They advocate instead that pro-feminists build alliances and coalitions with other progressive groups and movements (such as feminism, gay and lesbian liberation, left-wing and socialist movements, anti-racist struggles, and so on).

Pro-feminists recognise the need to build close relations and supportive alliances among men, as part of the process of change. Some pro-feminist men thus describe themselves as both pro-feminist and "male-positive," or as concerned with enhancing men's lives.[citation needed]

Some pro-feminist men believe that pro-feminists must dismantle the whole system of dividing people into two "opposite sexes", "male" and get rid of their oppressive behaviour (such as violence) and can choose to change it. They believe "male-positivity" is balanced by pro-feminism.[citation needed] Being male-positive of course doesn't mean supporting whatever men do. Pro-feminists claim to retain a sense of ethics or values, and to assess men and masculinities accordingly. To give a simple example, a violent masculinity is unacceptable, because violence is ethically unacceptable. According to pro-feminist men, being male-positive is compatible with criticising oppressive or destructive aspects of men's groups or the men's movement.[citation needed]

[edit] Homosexuality

Pro-feminist men include heterosexual, gay, and bisexual men. It is hard to say whether the proportion of GBT men among pro-feminists is any greater than the proportion in society in general (which some people estimate at around ten percent), because no one has done the research. On the one hand, men have often come to a sympathy for feminism through their sexual relationships with women, and this represents a specifically heterosexual path to pro-feminism. On the other hand, gay men have sometimes been drawn to pro-feminism because of their sense of distance from traditional masculinity or their realisation of the links between homophobia (fear and hatred of non-heterosexuals) and sexism. However, this is contentious because many pro-feminist radicals would state it is impossible for women to be sexist, yet many women install and instigate antihomosexual behaviors among their male children and peers.

Pro-feminist men, who often question traditional masculinity or behave in non-stereotypical ways, are sometimes perceived to be gay (whether they are or not) and attacked in homophobic ways. This is an indication of the often assumed link in our society between sexual orientation (who you are attracted to or who you'd like to have sex with) and gender behaviour (conformity to notions of proper manhood).

Many pro-feminist men believe that masculinity is strongly molded by homophobia, the widespread fear of and contempt for homosexual people, and the dominant model of masculinity is of a heterosexual masculinity. Pro-feminists argue that homophobia and heterosexism (a system of heterosexual privilege) represent injustices to non-heterosexual people, and also constrict the lives of heterosexuals. Pro-feminist men in particular may be reacting to the feeling that their emotional, social and sexual lives have been limited by the fear of being perceived as non-masculine or gay.

[edit] Criticism

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Some men, such as Warren Farrell and Glenn Sacks now associated with men's rights state that they were previously pro-feminist, and heavily involved in feminist organisations. Such men have criticised the pro-feminist approach as failing to recognise real issues affecting men and not having effective strategies to help men both address their own issues or to support women and children.

Conservative masculists are strongly opposed to feminism and its supporters.

[edit] See also

[edit] Significant pro-feminist writers

[edit] Streams in the men's movement

[edit] External links

[edit] Bibliography

  • Brittan, Arthur 1989 Masculinity and power, Oxford: Basil Blackwell
  • Clatterbaugh, Kenneth 1990 Contemporary perspectives on masculinity: men, women, and politics in modern society, Colarado & Oxford: Westview Press
  • Connell, R.W. 1987 Gender and power: society, the person and sexual politics, Sydney: Allen & Unwin
  • Connell, R.W. 1995 Masculinities, Sydney: Allen & Unwin
  • Cooper, Mick and Baker, Peter 1996 The MANual: the complete man's guide to life, London: Thorsons
  • Edley, Nigel and Wetherell, Margaret 1995 Men in perspective: practice, power and identity, London: Prentice-Hall
  • Edwards, Tim 1993 Erotics and politics: gay male sexuality, masculinity, and feminism, New York: Routledge
  • Haddad, Tony (ed) 1993 Men and masculinities: a critical anthology, Toronto: Canadian Scholars' Press
  • Kaufman, Michael (ed) 1987 Beyond patriarchy: essays by men on pleasure, power and change, New York: Oxford University Press
  • Kaufman, Michael 1993 Cracking the armour: power, pain and tstview Press
  • Segal, Lynne 1990 Slow motion: changing masculinities, changing men, London: Virago pro-feminist men respond to the mythopoetic men's movement (and the mythopoetic leaders answer), Philadelphia: Temple University Press
  • Kimmel, Michael and Messner, Michael (eds) 1992 Men's lives, New York/Toronto: Macmillan/Maxwell (2nd edition)
  • Mac an Ghaill, Mairtin (ed) 1996 Understanding masculinities: Social relations and cultural arenas, Buckingham & Philadelphia: Open University Press
  • May, Larry and Robert Strikwerda (eds) 1992 Rethinking masculinity: philosophical explorations in light of feminism, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield
  • McLean, Chris, Carey, Maggie and White, Cheryl (eds) 1996 Men's ways of being, Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press
  • Segal, Lynne 1990 Slow motion: changing masculinities, changing men, London: Virago
  • Snodgrass, Jon (ed) 1977 A book of readings: for men against sexism, Albion CA: Times Change Press
  • Stoltenberg, John 1990 Refusing to be a man: essays on sex and justice, CA & Suffolk: Fontana/Collins
  • Stoltenberg, John 1998 The end of manhood: a book for men of conscience, New York: Dutton
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