The social movements: Woman and Men

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Social movements are collective efforts to challenge and change

•         Attitudes
•         Roles
•         Laws
•         Policies

 Men’s movements address issues of what manhood means to seek a better social reality.

The social reality for men today is masculinity

Describing & responding to masculinity is difficult.

Current male role--a set of contradictory, no-win behaviors, attitudes, & conditions.

Men powerless due to women’s sexual power.

Feminism has “emasculated” men.

Seeks a return to traditional roles that value men’s contributions

All these specific movements attempt to solve problems of masculinity.

Began in the 19th century

Reemerged in late 1960s & early 1970s as a response to the women's movement. 

Pro-Masculine Perspectives

The Conservative Perspective

Defends traditional gender roles; essentialist.

         Men= Protectors & Providers

         Women=Child bearers & Caregivers

Socio-Biological Conservatives  

          Men naturally aggressive, dominant, & competitive. 

          For men to become civilized, women must fulfill traditional roles.

          Feminism thus subverts the natural male role.

The Spiritual Pro-masculinist Perspective

Promise Keepers.

traditional, conservative Christian group.
Exhorts men to support their wives & take responsibility for their families.

       Mythopoetic (e.g. R. Bly)
      The mythopoetic men's movement grew as a reaction to the second-wave feminist movement. The mythopoetic men's movement aims to liberate men from the constraints of the modern world which keep them from being in touch with their true masculine nature, and is best known for the rituals that take place during their gatherings. While in the public eye in the early 1990s, the movement carries on more quietly in The ManKind Project and independent psychologico-spiritual practitioners. Mythopoets adopted a general style of psychological self-help inspired by the work of Robert Bly, Robert A. Johnson,Joseph Campbell, and other Jungian authors

       Masculinity created & maintained by interactions between society & archetypal images. 

Often ridiculed in mainstream press.

Main concepts:

       Men suffer fragmentation while growing up, over-emphasizing the “feminine.”
       Through male-bonding activities, men find the "wild man" inside.
       Often requires a reconciliation (or forgiveness) with the father.

Profeminist Perspectives

Male feminism.

     Generally support liberal feminist perspectives.

     Accept male domination/patriarchy, maintained through threat of violence.

     Masculinity is a toxic social construction.

     Masculinity actually quite fragile.

            Consists of contradictory messages.

            Maintained through social structures (family, school, church, sports, media, jobs, etc.).

Anti-Feminist Movement 

 

NOMAS (National Organization For Men Against Sexism)

     Most liberal group.

     Seeks to expand awareness of problems of socially constructed “masculinity.”

     Fathering Task Group promotes nurturing of children.

     Also seeks to change homophobic attitudes.

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Men’s Anti-Violence Groups

    The White Ribbon Campaign (WRC)

    Seeks end to male violence against women.

    Formed by Canadian men in response to the Montreal Massacre.

    Criticized as not going far enough.