Why focus on boys and men’s issues?
There is significant attention paid to inequities and disparities impacting women and girls. For example, people living in Seattle have government commissions looking after the well-being of women and girls at four levels of government: city, county, state, and national. Efforts that are framed as advancing gender equity or gender equality are nearly always things that involve helping women and girls. WIBM shines a light on issues where boys and men are struggling. For every nonprofit organization in Washington that advocates for men and boys, there are 50 organizations advocating for women and girls. The need for advocacy pertaining to males’s issues is real. Additionally, male victims of domestic violence are a minority voice – and a necessary one – in the overall effort to reduce the prevalence of domestic violence.
Women and men are out there advocating for the well-being and equal treatment of women and girls. Should some people do the same for men and boys?
Yes, they should. One reason there isn’t robust advocacy in the public arena for addressing boys and men’s issues is that many males find it difficult to conceive of their own gender as being negatively impacted by gender inequality — and therefore as worthy of advocacy.
Do you think there are ways in which girls and women lack equality?
Absolutely. Over the last century efforts toward equality for women and girls accomplished a great deal in matters of law, policy, social norms, and popular opinion. There remain gender biases and discrimination that negatively impact females. WIBM wishes success for groups and individuals working on those issues.
What would equality for boys and men actually look like? Turning back the clock to an earlier era?
No. We want to progress forward to a new era when gender is not a factor that impedes human flourishing or equal treatment for individuals of all genders. See our collection of pages on Boys and Men’s Issues and our posts on Gender Disparities for more information.