Maybe, some suggest, behaviors like sexual harassment and violence towards women are the result of millions of years of evolution. Maybe the selection pressures of men and male competition, in tandem with the need to reproduce, have perhaps led to the entrenchment of bad behaviors in men. Maybe it is part of our biology, our DNA — and us men cannot help ourselves. It is asked: Can we simply say “boys will be boys” and explain sexual harassment as the natural extension of maleness? The answer is no. We cannot.
The overall objective for launching the HeForShe in Ghana is to build a platform for high level, accessible and visible public advocacy and outreach on the engagement of men and boys as equal partners in the struggle for achieving Gender Equality. The campaign’s central message is that gender inequality is not only a women’s issue but a human rights issue, the resolution of which will benefit both women and men socially, politically and economically.
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has bluntly titled its new report Blind Spot and notes in its first sentence that focusing on boys and men may seem “counterintuitive” given the gender inequalities that often put girls and women at a disadvantage when it comes to infection and treatment. But data speak. Overall, more than 20 million of the 37 million HIV-infected people in the world now receive antiretroviral (ARV) drugs, which both save lives and prevent transmission. But in people 15 years of age or older, ARV coverage of males is only 47% compared with 60% for women.
Boys have always known they could do anything; all they had to do was look around at their presidents, religious leaders, professional athletes, at the statues that stand erect in big cities and small. Girls have always known they were allowed to feel anything — except anger. Now girls, led by women, are being told they can own righteous anger. Now they can feel what they want and be what they want. There’s no commensurate lesson for boys in our culture.
A Call to Men's programs help men and boys to identify everything from the media's influence, to what demonstrates consent, coercion, and nonconsent, to the myths and facts of sexual harassment and assault. Most important, they teach them how to interrupt the cycle by speaking up and making respectful choices. These practices allow men to embrace a healthy manhood and to create healthy relationships with women and girls.
"The roots of rape culture and abuse start [in] childhood. Teaching children at a young age about what consent means will change their perspectives on gender, sexuality and violence," the foundation said in a statement. And this is especially important to young boys, so they do not grow up with harmful attitudes about what it means to be a man.
Sexism broadly is the belief or practices led by the belief in prejudices and stereotypes about gender behaviour, norms and behavioural expectations. Sexism can limit both men and women from realising their dreams and potential, by expecting them to conform to gender expectations of how they are supposed to behave, what dreams are appropriate for their gender, what price they may pay for non conformity.
In a development that will delight both music lovers and reform-minded Catholics, one of the church’s gender taboos has finally been broken. Cecilia Bartoli, one of Italy’s most celebrated classical singers, has become the first woman to perform inside the chapel with the all-male Sistine Chapel Choir, as part of a unique musical project which draws on ancient, neglected musical archives of the Catholic church.
Teaching girls to speak up when they are violated is a cornerstone of the third wave of feminism. Parenting expert Robyn Silverman, host of the podcast How to Talk to Kids About Anything, explains that parents who tell girls that boys are being mean to them because they like them actually disempower their daughters from speaking out when they are put in painful situations. “It tells them that they shouldn't complain about the conduct because, even though the delivery is hurtful or uncomfortable, it's 'nice' to be liked—and isn't that what all girls are supposed to want? It all at once excuses the ugly behavior, gives it a favorable label and silences the girl.”
The researchers say that traits more commonly associated with girls’ academic behavior — such as higher levels of concentration and greater motivation to perform well — may help explain their positive influence on school environment and also help clarify why girls continue to outperform boys in many educational subjects. In addition, the findings suggest that boys may not necessarily benefit from single-sex schools and vocational education, where subjects are often heavily weighted towards a particular gender.