Men's Movement Information
The men's movement is a social movement that includes a number of philosophies and organizations that seek to support men, change the male gender role and improve men's rights in regard to marriage, child access and victims of domestic violence. Major movements within the men's movement include men's liberation, masculism, men's health, mythopoetic men's movement, anti-sexism, and men's / fathers' rights, anti-misandry, as well as organizations supporting male victims of rape. The movement is predominantly Western, although since the early 1990s men's movements have been growing in non-western countries; an example is India, where dramatic rises in false accusations of dowry harassment as cited by the Karnataka judiciary in 2003 "In as many as 44% of these cases prosecution is thoroughly unjustified",[1] and other issues have resulted in large scale false imprisonment of innocent men and their parents, which have in turn provided impetus to a growing men's rights movement.
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Men's and fathers' rights, masculism
Main articles: men's rights, fathers' rights, and masculismThe men's rights and fathers' rights movements differ in their orientation with men's rights relating more to civil law and civil rights and fathers' more to family law. However, they share some of the ideas of other groups, such as:
- the men's liberationists' view that men's roles are harmful and limiting to men, particularly regarding the failure to enhance nurturing behaviours (and in particular in terms of their relationships with their own offspring), and
- mythopoetics' idea that masculinity inherently comes with prescribed qualities, roles, responsibilities and privileges.
Concerns often raised by men's rights advocates include:
- The neglect of male issues and structural oppression of men (often citing issues such as the fact that in the Western world, men succeed in committing suicide much more often than do women,[2] that men constitute over 90% of the prison population, represent a majority of alcoholics, drug addicts, homeless people, have lower levels of university attendance and life expectancy).
- 30% reservation for men in child custody cases. ( India ) The history of masculism and the men's rights movement is complex, with numerous influences; as such many see masculism as synonymous with the men's and fathers' rights movement (see below). Masculism comprises an inter-related group of social movements to address issues of equality and justice for men, fathers, and boys. While masculist thought has been present for over a century (see, for example, The Fraud of Feminism, written by E. Belfort Bax in 1908), as a broad social movement it traces its origins to the divorce societies of the 1940s through 1960s. It branched off from a divorce-only emphasis to address broader issues in the mid-late 1970-s as a result of what is commonly regarded within the movement as the influence of feminism (that is, social change and legislation around equal rights for women).
Significant writers
- Robert Bly
- Warren Farrell
- Herb Goldberg
- Christina Hoff Sommers
- Sam Keen
- Glenn Sacks US broadcaster and columnist
Further reading
- Kenneth Clatterbaugh: Contemporary Perspectives on Masculinity: Men, Women, and Politics in Modern Society, Westview Pr, 1990, ISBN 0-8133-0992-1
- Michael Messner: Politics of Masculinities. Men in Movements, Thousand Oaks 1997, ISBN 0-8039-5576-6
Men's liberation
Main articles: Men's liberation and Gender roleThe perspective of men's liberation is that men are hurt by the male gender role and that men's lives are alienating, unhealthy and impoverished.
They believe that men are over-worked, trained to kill or be killed, brutalized and subjected to blame and shame. They give attention to the damage, isolation and suffering inflicted on boys and men through their socialization into manhood.
They may seek ways to "liberate" men and have some sympathy with pro-feminist views.
Activities include:
- Men's support groups and mutual aid
- Therapy and counselling
- Involvement in public efforts on issues of men's health and boys' education.
An opposing view: Many in the men's movement feel that the proper definition of "men's liberation" should imply freedom to embrace male gender roles, not simply freedom from those gender roles.
Significant writers
- Stephen Biddulph
- Susan Faludi
- Don Edgar
- Warren Farrell (post-1985)
- Herb Goldberg
- Jack Nichols
- Thomas Ellis
- Paul Elam
- Jack Kammer
Mythopoetic men
Main article: Mythopoetic men's movementThe Mythopoetic men's movement is based on spiritual perspectives derived from psychoanalysis, and especially the work of Carl Jung, Joseph Campbell, and the poet Robert Bly. It is called "mythopoetic" because of the emphasis on mythology communicated as poetry with some appropriation of indigenous mythology and knowledge (Bly draws on Native American mythology). There is an emphasis on "elder honouring", "reclaiming" fathers, and "unleashing the wild man within", but with an emphasis on the impact of fatherlessness on men's psychological development which is related to their With the exception of a few groups such as the Radical Faeries they are generally not politically active as groups, but may be as individuals.
Masculinity is seen to include deep unconscious patterns and archetypes that are revealed through myth, story and ritual, as supported by theories drawn from analytical or "depth" psychology.
There is some overlap with men's rights and men's liberation perspectives.
Activities include:
- Male mentoring programs (based on the belief that mature males should help boys to become healthy men)
- Ritual, drumming and storytelling camps.
- Support groups
- Attempts at developing curricula for boys' programs in schools.
Significant writers
- Robert Bly
- Stephen Biddulph
- Joseph Campbell
- Clarissa Pinkola Estés
- James Hillman
- Sam Keen
- John Lee, author of The Flying Boy
- Michael J. Meade
- Robert L. Moore
- David Tacey
- Robert Jensen
- Malidoma Somé
See also
Men's rights portal - Fathers' rights movement
- International Men's Day (19 November)
- Responsible Fatherhood movement
- Mankind Project
- Men's rights
- Men's spaces
- Men's studies
- Pater familias
- Paternal rights and abortion
- Paternity fraud
- Promise Keepers
- Save Indian Family
- Violence against men
References
- ^ Crl. A. no. 589 of 2003 Decided on 4-9-2003 reported in 2000(1) Karnataka Law Online starting on Page no 560
- ^ "CDC - Injury - WISQARS (Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System)". Cdc.gov. 2010-03-04. http://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/index.html. Retrieved 2010-10-20.
External links
Men · Masculinity Concepts/subjects Men's movement · Theory · Men's rights · Fathers' rights · Gender equality (Gender inequality) Men and feminism (Pro-feminism · Anti-feminism) · Men's liberation · Mythopoetic men's movement
By country Men's rights India Fathers' rights See also Masculism Topics · International Men's Day · Men's studies · Men's health risks · Violence against men Masculism (men's rights) portal Categories:
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