Ever since we created a facebook group titled male feminism, the group has been expanding and in less than a week, we have close to seventy members. However, I feel it is time that the theory of male feminism is understood correctly, atleast the version I believe in.
For starters, I will look at feminism. Nancy Cott defines feminism as the belief in the importance of gender equality, invalidating the idea of gender hierarchy as a socially constructed concept. Feminists are persons of either sex who believe in feminism – and of course practice their beliefs. A man can be a feminist.
Historically, a number of men have engaged with feminism. Philosopher Jeremy Bentham demanded equal rights for women in the eighteenth century. In 1866, philosopher John Stuart Mill (author of “The Subjection of Women”) presented a women’s petition to the British parliament and supported an amendment to the 1867 Reform Bill. Academics like Michael Flood, Michael Messner, and Michael Kimmel are involved with men’s studies and pro-feminism.
A number of feminist writers maintain that identifying as a feminist is the strongest stand men can take in the struggle against sexism. They have argued that men should be allowed, or even be encouraged, to participate in the feminist movement. Thus there are conventionally two formsof engagement of men in the feminist movement. There are either male feminists (Male feminism) or pro-feminists (Pro-feminism).
Pro-feminism refers to support of the cause of feminism without implying that the supporter is a member of the feminist movement. The term is most often used in reference to men who are actively supportive of feminism and of efforts to bring about gender equality.
Male feminism on its part is rather than a male copycat of female feminism; a movement that teaches men to be more human toward women and train their eyes to behold them as human beings rather than as sexual objects of prowess and prey. Male feminism is not a movement for gay and effeminate men. It is important to make this clear.
Male feminism informs men that they have been deprived of human development by the cultural suppressions of their feminine nature and their emotions, all for the sake of masculine pride and its rewarding privileges, men are more of a victim of patriarchy than women. Male feminism seeks to eradicate the phobia of the feminine and teach men that the union of their masculine and feminine nature will mutate into an androgynous being. Male feminists believe that women have “masculine” characteristics as well and the fact that they realise this leads to the development of a more ambidextrous brain from the expressions of their masculine and feminine characteristics.
Thus male feminism is based on the realisation that society is better off when men and women are equal though biologically different.
First of all, I would never want to call myself a ‘male feminist’ – calling myself ‘male’ anything doesn’t work without a tingle of disgust. Don’t know why that is.
Equality of the sexes is something that I deeply believe in without compromise. I have never felt happy with socially imposed gender roles or expectations and rejected them a long time ago. Sexism is something that I despise and fight whenever I can and for that reason I frequently find myself in opposition to feminism. As a movement, feminism is supremely sexist and as such I cannot in good conscience support it.
Amen.
Feminism is not a single movement with a single guiding philosophy. There are feminisms that are exclusive and that I find myself disagreeing with, similarly there are feminisms that have been very inclusive and that I can and do associate with.
It would seem a shame to automatically discount something because of its label.