There is no 'war on men' - we now know feminism is good for boys
There is no ‘war on men’ – we now know feminism is good for boys
Laura Bates
A report shows that boys benefit from learning about gender stereotypes and different types of masculinity
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‘Instead of reinforcing stereotypes, the report’s authors suggest, all children benefit from a feminist approach to learning.’ Photograph: Caia Image/Getty Images
Tue 8 Nov 2022 06.47 EST
Last modified on Tue 8 Nov 2022 08.36 EST
Disappointing news today for those who blame feminism for the problems facing young men: research shows that challenging gender stereotypes and misogyny helps boys too. 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. Of course the impact of this is immense, and reading about the boys in the report who justified male violence through notions of men’s possession and ownership of women goes some way to explain the shockingly high levels of sexual assault in schools. But these stereotypes also harm boys – look, for instance, at the under-reporting of violence and abuse against boys and men.
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.
The idea that white, working-class boys are neglected and “failing” is “both manufactured and actively misleading”, the report states. White boys are in fact less likely than Black Caribbean, Black African and Bangladeshi students to claim free school meals, and less likely to be excluded from school than Black Caribbean boys. White boys who do not receive free school meals get higher grades than some minoritised groups, too. With this in mind, it’s worth asking who benefits from peddling these misleading claims, and why? Perhaps it’s those who want to keep the status quo as it is.
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Laura Bates is the founder of the Everyday Sexism Project (https://everydaysexism.com/) and author of Men Who Hate Women
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/nov/08/feminists-war-on-men-misogyny-boys-gender-stereotypes-masculinity