Why Jamila Rizvi wants us to talk about men

Addressing a packed room, FW’s Deputy Managing Director said we need a new conversation about gender equality. A better conversation.

“The women’s movement does itself a disservice by ignoring the very real
barriers faced by boys and men,” she told the audience.

“If the goal really is gender equality, then we need to engage with the challenges encountered by people of all genders.

“Not in a token way. Not as an afterthought. Not as a begrudging footnote, but genuinely, openly and honestly.”

Rizvi’s central thesis: Addressing and engaging with the concerns men face does not detract from gender equality. It is instead key to meaningful progress.

This does not mean we should start ignoring or jettisoning the plight of women.

Rizvi started her speech by outlining the very real backlash to gender equality seen across the globe – a backlash she described as “terrifying”.

“Across the world, we’re witnessing women’s rights being rolled back and a rise of anti-feminist rhetoric and politicians,” she said.

“According to UN Women, gender disparities are worsening, such that it could take another 286 years to close gender gaps in legal protections for women and girls.

“Having an honest gender equality conversation requires us to also recognise how the system fails men. We must take the challenges they face seriously.”

She added: “While we all know someone who’s fallen over themselves in excitement to tell us how gender equality has already ‘gone too far’ – the evidence says otherwise … Women are not at risk of racing ahead. In fact, we’re still catching up.”

And yet, the schism that has emerged between men and women’s perceptions of equality cannot be ignored.

This trend is particularly marked in younger generations. Recent Ipsos polling across 31 countries – including Australia – found that up to 60 percent of younger men say gender equality has gone too far. While women of a similar age are significantly more likely to view gender equality positively.

“The data is clear. The view that gender equality efforts have tipped the balance in favour of women is no longer held only by an unrepresentative handful of men,” Rizvi said.

“This is not a fringe movement or sideline conversation. This rhetoric is making its way into the hearts and minds of blokes across the country and is being reinforced through their phones.”

As Rizvi noted, for many men, feminism has morphed from a commitment to gender equality to an ideology aimed at punishing people like them.

“Most still feel pressure to be breadwinners and experience stigma when they try to access flexible work arrangements.”

The way to counter this, according to Rizvi, is not to dismiss these concerns. It’s not to pretend they don’t exist or to attempt to sweep them under a rug.

Instead, the path to progress must start with recognition.

“Having an honest gender equality conversation requires us to also recognise how the system fails men. We must take the challenges they face seriously,” she said.

“While men have not faced the historical marginalisation that women have, there are worrying trends – particularly amongst boys – that we must start acknowledging openly and addressing with urgency.”

Some of these worrying trends include widening academic disparity, social isolation and rigid stereotypes of masculinity.

“Australian men are also still expected to conform to rigid, old-school masculinity. They are overrepresented in dangerous jobs and industries with higher rates of suicide, injury and mental illness,” Rizvi said.

“Most still feel pressure to be breadwinners and experience stigma when they try to access flexible work arrangements.”

The way to address these very real issues is not to ignore the problems men face. Nor is it to ignore the ways women are still being left behind.

Instead, the way to make meaningful progress is to talk about gender equality in a way “that brings people together, rather than pushing them apart”.

If we do this, Rizvi argued, we can also pave the way for a new model of masculinity.

“If we don’t offer young men a better alternative, we know now exactly where they will go,” she said.

“The work starts with making space for men in this conversation. Not as villains. Not as an afterthought. But as people who also need change to happen faster than it is.

“Because if we can get this right? Everybody wins.”

IMAGE CREDIT: Vienna Marie Creative