GENDER BIAS:   We need to stop demonising men if we want to raise men with purpose, passion and compassion. This includes challenging the media narrative.  

Take domestic abuse for example. Currently in the UK, a third of victims of domestic abuse are men (and that’s not taking into account the high levels of under-reporting due to shame and the stigma of being a male victim of violence) yet still the media and politicians talk about ‘the overwhelming majority’ of victims of domestic abuse being women, when in fact it’s the ‘greater/larger proportion’. Men as victims of domestic abuse rather than perpetrators, is not as uncommon as the media would like to portray. 

We need to call out our own language and attitudes around needing to ‘man-up’, looking for things with ‘man-eyes’, needing a ‘kitchen pass’ to go out, wondering ‘who wears the trousers‘ in our colleague’s relationships or slating men for ‘mansplaining’ (the list goes on.)  

PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY:    It works on the principle that humans are at their best when they feel safe, supported and know that they can speak up about how they feel.  

Feeling safe means NOT being worried about being belittled, penalised, ignored or disbelieved when you share how you feel. We can create this safety in our homes and workplaces by being open about our own struggles and challenges, and being ready to listen to other people’s struggles/challenges (which means managing our state if someone else’s challenge relates to our own behaviour/decisions!) 

Another International Men’s Day, another year passes and times are tough! So let’s create meaningful change: let’s come together as men and women to challenge the narrative, remove the stigmas and create a better society for all.