A UK Member of Parliament recently suggested that there should be a Government minister for men which would presumably do similar things to the existsing minister for Women.
This has thrown up a series of heated discussions on social media about whether this is part of the ‘backlash’ against feminsm, or whether there is a legitimate need for wider support of men’s issues.
As a man who believes that there are legitimate issues disproportionately affecting men which should be addressed, what I really want help in understanding is the opinion that men don’t need any targetted support.
I don’t want to start a big argument, but I do want to understand this perspective, because I have struggled to understand it before and I don’t like feeling like I’m missing something.
You’re right, it doesn’t. That’s why there’s a minister for women.
Who’s responsibility includes reducing the disparity between men and women. Having a minister for men introduces parity in this regard, which therefore does nothing to advance the interest of women in a male dominated system
Helping men with male specific issues ≠ holding women back
It’s like that ad, “1/4 of homeless people are women”. So what about the remaining 3/4, who get even less help?
The ultimate goal is equality, but it takes targeted support of women to attain that.
I’m not saying that men’s issues should remain unresolved, but the intent of the Tory MP is not to support men. It is to divide and conquer.
You can do the right thing for the wrong reasons.