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| Source: humanresourcesonline.net |
We are currently submerged in an age and society completely
fixated on gaining a sort of “equality” for women. It is rarely considered that
men need a men empowerment organisation similar to that of women, yet it is
becoming increasingly necessary.
Whilst it is true that women face far more obstacles in
achieving top job positions and are almost always judged for their decision to
choose to or to choose not to return to work after having a child, it must also
be recognised that men suffer disproportionately from suicide, and have
significant disadvantages concerning parental rights. Men’s Rights Activists
(MRAs) are vigorously working to let these issues be heard and be treated as
just as important as the issues facing their counterparts. It is important
that, in a world where “feminist movements” occupy most of the world’s attention,
that we do not diminish one gender in order to elevate the other.
To truly understand the purposes of men’s rights and why
they are so crucial, now more than ever, we must understand the complexities of
advocating for “feminism”. The true meaning of “feminism” has become so lost
and miscommunicated as new events concerning the freedoms of women surface and more
people try to push their version of it. Most typically the “feminist movement”
is viewed as a movement in which women’s rights are improved to match those of men.
The issue with this approach is that believing “feminism” aims
to make women equal to men in society automatically assumes that men have it
all and have essentially reached the most ideal culture and way of life, when
that is anything but true. If we really want to achieve any sort of improvement
for women, we must first acknowledge and address the problems that men
encounter and move past this ridiculous idea that women are working to obtain
what men already have, when, in reality, we don’t want any of it.
If the message behind the “feminist movement” is to “develop
the woman experience to match that of man” then wouldn’t success mean that women
feel less inclined to express their emotions in a public way? Wouldn’t success
of the “feminist movement” mean that women legally and socially have less
influence in the parenting of their live and unborn children? Wouldn’t success
mean that far more women become the target of gun and knife crime across the
world?
These factors do nothing to contribute to the improvement of
the female experience. So, when we say that we want to become “more equal” to
men, do we mean all of this, or just the parts that suit us. How can we expect
to fight for all the “benefits” of being a man, yet refuse to acknowledge the “benefits”
that we as women have, and are therefore desirable to men?
This is where the purpose of Men’s’ Rights Activists becomes
evident. MRAs aim to highlight all the parts of what it means to be a man that aren’t
attractive to women or those striving for total equality, in order to help
better the male experience. So much time is spent considering how women suffer
but it is just as important to flip the coin and see the opposing issues
regarding the other party. Just as we (women) desire the certain perks of being
a man, perhaps there are similar desires regarding men. Perhaps men would like
to experience dating without the social pressure of having to pay for
everything, despite whether or not it turns out to be the case.
Discussing what men would like to achieve does not come without
complexities however. Take family law for example. MRAs protest against the
alleged bias against fathers yet men were the source of this. Family laws were not
written by women. Policies were not developed by women. The patriarchal society
that men now despise so much was not created by women – it was orchestrated by
men.
Practically everything that is unjust about today’s society
was essentially created by the men in power in the past, including the problems
facing men themselves. So why should women strive to be just like men? We have,
in effect, painted the male experience to be the ultimate goal that women are
supposed to be wanting without realising what that would actually mean for us.
Having considered all this, my understanding of “feminism” is
that it is a movement and idea about moving towards liberation for women, an
escape from the controls of the patriarchy, and with the dismantling of the
patriarchy comes liberation for men. Women cannot resent men for seemingly
having it all because in reality they are not the blueprint that we want to
replicate. The aim here is to break down the oppressions created by the patriarchy
to both parties.
The aim is to develop a society in which men are not constricted
to the ridiculous template of what it means to be a man, and where women are no
longer positioned as the ultimate insult to men. Feminism and MRAs share the same
goal – total liberation to make the human experience far more positive and
beneficial.
Thank you for reading!
Aman
