Do Fathers Matter?
By Pat Bakalian on June 20, 2009 at 5:30 PM in Gender Bias, Sexism, Women and Children
Father’s Day is a time to acknowledge the unique role dads have in raising the next generation of boys and girls. Both men as well as women need to be actively involved in raising children.
Dr. Michael S. Kimmel asks in his article Why Men Should Support Gender Equity
Why should men participate in the movement for gender equality? Simply put, I believe that these changes among men will actually benefit men, and that gender equality is not a loss for men, but an enormously positive thing that will enable us to live the kinds of lives we say we want to live.
… Rather than resisting the transformation of our lives that gender equality offers, I believe that we should embrace these changes, both because they offer us the possibilities of social and economic equality, and because they also offer us the possibilities of richer, fuller and happier lives with our friends, with our lovers, with our partners and with our children. We, as men, should support gender equality—both at work and at home.
We salute fathers who are raising young boys and girls to value gender equality. There are many organizations working to do just that on Father’s Day and all year long. Campaign for Gender Equality would like to thank them for their important and much needed work. Here are a few:
National Organization for Men Against Sexism We affirm that working to make this nation’s ideals of equality substantive is the finest expression of what it means to be men. We believe that the new opportunities becoming available to women and men will be beneficial to both. Men can live as happier and more fulfilled human beings by challenging the old-fashioned rules of masculinity that embody the assumption of male superiority.”
MenEngage
We believe that questioning men’s and women’s attitudes and expectations about gender roles is crucial to achieving gender equality.
Founding Fathers We believe boys should be taught that violence does not equal strength.
Understanding the benefits of gender equality is not enough. While growing up, heavy gender expectations are placed on both sexes. Boys and men learn from their fathers and through their relationships how society expects them to treat women. Because there is a close connection between these expectations and sexism, it is important to break down unhealthy expectations before full gender equality can be achieved.
Thank those fathers for being open and learning about what they can do to achieve gender equality for all. Suggest that they read Why Men Should Support Gender Equity and The Family Violence Prevention Fund’s 8 Ways to Coach Boys into Men.
Sincerely,
Shawn, John and the Campaign for Gender Equality Team
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