There is no ‘war on men’ – we now know feminism is good for boys

Article here. Excerpt:

'A narrative has emerged over the last decade in popular culture and politics that portrays men and boys (particularly white, heterosexual ones) as in “crisis”, victimised by feminism and social justice movements, and now “left behind” or suffering so-called “reverse discrimination”. From the misogynistic memes that swirled around the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard trial, to the male MPs attempting to debunk the “bad press” men have been getting, to the description of #MeToo as a “witch-hunt” on flagship radio programmes, this argument has been steadily building up steam.

However, The State of UK Boys report released today by the Global Boyhood Initiative shows that, instead of being victimised by feminism, boys are facing an entirely different crisis. Violence and being “tough” is normalised as a natural part of being a man, which encourages boys to see violence (particularly male-on-male violence) as an inevitable part of growing up. The study, which comprised a literature review alongside interviews with experts, also found that these kinds of stereotypes are present from birth, with families, schools and peer groups all playing their part.

Instead of reinforcing these stereotypes, the report’s authors suggest, all children would benefit from a feminist approach to learning (something that will come as no surprise to many feminists, who have been arguing for this for decades). For example, boys would benefit from learning about the problems with gender stereotypes, and also from a destigmatisation of close friendships between boys, which are often discouraged by homophobic ideals of masculinity. Encouraging male friendships, the study finds, would provide opportunities for boys to learn reciprocity, empathy and intimacy.'