Men's Issues Are Real

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Discussions surrounding men and manhood are usually rooted in a negative space. The issues men experience are usually not given much attention and space. Perhaps this is of our own doing since masculinity and maleness are clothed in a rough and tough exterior. As a society we should not disregard the concerns impacting and affecting men. We ought to take every opportunity to improve the relationship between both sexes, instead of perpetuating a climate of gender inequality. Men’s issues are real and must be deliberated in a safe space. These issues include masculinity, manhood, men’s’ health, including mental health, paternity leave, and boys’ under-performance in the education system, gender-based violence, crime and violence, the feminization of the education system and improving the relations between genders. Unfortunately, there are those who still question why do we need International Men’s Day (IMD) given that we live in a patriarchal world. However, International Men’s Day provides us with a great platform to take part in a global conversation about manhood, masculinity and men’s issues. The day also affords us the space to promote positive expressions of masculinity; highlight the importance of positive male role models for our boys and promoting gender equality. International Men’s Day should be an occasion for inclusiveness. It’s also an opportunity to recognize men who do not fall into traditional manifestations of masculinity. On November 19 the global community pauses to celebrate International Men’s Day. The IMD is celebrated in over 80 countries, including the United States of America, Canada, U.K., Singapore, Australia, India, South Africa, Haiti, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Hungary, Malta, Ghana and Moldova. International Men’s Day aims to highlight the positive value men bring to the world, their families and communities. The day focuses attention on the positive role models and raise awareness of men’s well-being. There are six pillars of International Men’s Day. These are: to promote positive male role models; to celebrate men’s positive contributions; to focus on men’s health and well-being; to improve gender relations and improve gender equality and to create a safer, better world. One of the six pillars of International Men’s Day is to improve gender relations and promote gender equality not only for men but for women too. In this light the theme for 2021 is “Better relations between men and women.” History of International Men’s Day In 1968, an American journalist named John P. Harris wrote an editorial highlighting a lack of balance in the Soviet system, which promoted an International Women’s Day for female workers but failed to deliver a male counterpart. Harris stated that though he agreed there should be a day to celebrate women, the day served as a flaw within the communist system. In the early 1990s Thomas Oaster, the director of the Missouri Center for Men’s Studies, invited organizations in the U.S., Australia, and Malta to hold small International Men’s Day events during the month of February. Oaster successfully hosted these events for two years, but his 1995 attempt was poorly attended. In 1999 Trinidad and Tobago, the day was revived by Jerome Teelucksingh from the University of the West Indies. Teelucksingh realized that even though there was a day for fathers, there was no day to celebrate men who were not biological fathers, or who were young boys and teenagers. Teelucksingh understood the importance of positive male role models, as his father had been an excellent example for him, and chose to celebrate International Men’s Day on November 19; the day of his father’s birthday as well as the day a local soccer team had united his country with their endeavors to qualify for the world cup. Since Teelucksingh’s revival, International Men’s Day has served to promote positive aspects of male identity based on the premise that men respond more constructively to positive role models than to negative gender stereotyping. The day is not intended to compete with International Women’s Day, but to highlight the importance of men’s physical and mental health and positive masculinity. Gender Socialization Perhaps the time is now to have a conversation surrounding what is masculinity. The construction of a (Jamaican) masculinity is more than rigidity of the phallus. This message is difficult to get across in the Jamaican space. One just has to listen to the lyrics of the popular deejays with their skewed perception of masculinity and manhood. A society which does not appreciate and highlight positive male role models runs the risk of retreating into a state of disorder, embedded in a sea of toxic masculinity which inevitably will erode good family life. At times the conversation regarding men’s issue seems too academic; tucked away in a privileged space. The dialogue however must involve the narratives of more men; from the man who wipes the car windscreen at the intersection to the university professor; from the farmer in the rural area to the male who lives in the inner-city. There must be a realization that multiple masculinities exist and that the input of a cross section of males is critical in order for the State to create policies, programmes and plans necessary to address issues affecting men. Unfortunately, the only time the spotlight is focused on men occurs at the crime scene. Indisputably, men are the perpetrators of most crime. However, in order to address this, more private-public sector social investment must occur; especially in marginalized communities where men are at risk. Sadly, the education system continues to fail our males as the issues of male under-achievement and under presentation continue to plague the global education system. The Way Forward When we think of gender equality, immediately, the discourse shifts to the protection and the promotion of women’s rights. This attitude reflects the inequality of gender in our thoughts and beliefs and therefore, is problematic. Boys in particular require positive male role models in order for them to excel in their academic pursuits. As males, let us celebrate International Men’s Day in a paradigm of collective masculinity, while acknowledging the existence of multiple masculinities. The time is now for men to recommit and pledge their support in the campaign to improve gender relations in the society. Globally, men should be encouraged to continue playing their positive roles in their families, communities and in nation building and development. In the words of Marcus Aurelius, waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one. Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo © #InternationalMensDay #TalkingAboutMen #IMD #MensDay #GenderEquality