Male Oppression

Definitions

 Source of Oppression
– the systematic mistreatment of one group
of people by another group of people or
by society as a whole;
– with institutional power as a means of
asserting that mistreatment
How Men Are Oppressed
 Men are treated as inherently
aggressive and violent.
– Men are not allowed to be flexible;
– they are forced into a narrow definition
of MALE.
– When they do not fit in to the definition
they are labeled "wimp", "sissy" or "girl"

 INHERENT
– essential character of something; belonging by nature or
How Men are…. Cont’d.
 Violence against men is more
condoned than against women.
– Despite the growing societal
awareness of violence against
women (which is very good), it is still
acceptable to harm or kill men if the
reason is "justifiable"
How Men are…. Cont’d.
 Men are treated as if they do not feel pain or experience the full
range of emotions like women.
– If killing or risking of life and limb is involved men are chosen for the
job.
– When they get hurt at work or play they are expected to shrug it off
and continue as if nothing happened
– the work or the game is considered more important than their feelings
How Men are…. Cont’d.
 Boys and men are not expected to need
– Closeness, reassurance and attention
– which is thought to be harmful to their
sense of place and importance in the world.
– If a boy or man asks for help they are seen
as weak and needy and then put down for
being like a woman
How Men are…. Cont’d.
Men are treated as inherently
compulsive in their sexuality

– It is a lie that men cannot help the way they

Think, feel, look or act
in a sexual context towards
anyone
The Truth
The Truth About Men
 Every man has always done the best
he could
– to fight the oppression that was placed
upon him;
– even when he acts oppressively
towards men or women, he is still
fighting against the oppression as hard
as he can and as much as he knows
how to
The Truth…cont’d
 All men want, need and require
– close loving relationships with men
and women.
 It is the effects of oppression that
lead men ever to act otherwise.

 If it is difficult to see this then it is where YOU have

bought into Male Oppression
The Truth…cont’d
 Every man is capable of recovering his
humanness completely.
 No man is ever
– too far gone
– too out of reach
– or too damaged
 It may take resource but every man is
worthwhile to love

 AGAIN: Not seeing this clearly is part of Male Depression

The Truth…cont’d
 Tenderness, closeness, and softness
are all inherent male traits.
– Therefore it is 100% masculine to have
these qualities.
 It is oppressive to consider that
masculinity is only
– "tough," "rough" and "strong;"
– just as it would be sexist to view women
only as tender, close, and soft creatures
The Truth…cont’d
It is 100% feminine for women
to be tough, rough, and strong
By definition, men are not
feminine, just as women are not
masculine
Postcript
 It is true that men hold predominantly
all of the power and privilege in the
current oppressive society.
– Although women do not hold near as
much power and privilege they still play
a part in oppressing boys and men in
society by holding the above lies about
men as true.
– Certainly men do this too as well
CONCRETE WAYS TO END
SEXISM AS MEN

 Recognize that men's and women's

views of each other and of
themselves have been shaped by
sexist conditioning in our society.
– Understand that these sexist views
will persist and cloud both sexes‘
thinking about both men and women
Concrete ways…
 Always remember the true nature of
ALL women and ALL men
– strong, loving, intelligent, zestful
– Co-operative, assertive, confident and
tender.
 If you can't see everyone that way
then it is due
– to the sexist conditioning (and other
hurts) placed upon you
Concrete ways…
 If you had never received this
conditioning, then you could easily
see everyone's inherent nature all
the time.
– If any person never received any type
of conditioning, then they would
always act on these inherent qualities
all the time
Concrete ways…
 Educate yourself on the ways that
women have been oppressed.
– Ask the women in your life what the
sexism is like in their life.
– It is important for women to get to talk
about it with you and important for
you to hear the hardships of being a
woman in this society
Concrete ways…
 Share the work that has
traditionally been considered
"women's work“
– This is largely unpaid work and is not
considered as important as “men's
work"
Concrete ways…
 Challenge the notion to both men and
women
– that boys are by nature aggressive and
violent.
 Stand firm that it is only hard
conditioning that makes anyone act this
way
– Stand firm that boys are just like girls with
the whole range of emotions, compassion,
and need for tenderness
Concrete ways…
 Eliminate homophobia (the fear of being close to
someone of the same gender as oneself) with the men
in your life.
– Homophobia perpetuates confusion that closeness
and sex are the same thing (they are not the same).
– It prevents men from having close relationships with
each other.
– Taking turns listening to each other about the
hardships we've had being men is a great step in
starting closer friendships
– Go meet lots of men!
Concrete ways…
 Encourage men (including yourself) to
feel and express all natural feelings
– Men's largest conditioning comes from
being forced to act like we have no
feelings (e.g. "Big boys don't cry",”You're
acting like a girl/sissy")
– This conditioning is what eventually
makes men take on all of the inhuman
roles we are expected to play in society
Concrete ways…
 Support women's leadership.
 One crucial area to eliminating sexism
is challenging the notion
– that men are natural leaders
– And women are natural followers.
 This can be confusing for men.
– But considering all the sexist
stereotypes we've been taught about
women, this is understandable
Concrete ways…
 That is why remembering women's
inherent nature and taking turns
listening with other men about how
we've been conditioned is so
important in moving forward and
supporting women's leadership
Concrete ways…
 Model non-sexist behavior
everywhere.
 Tell and show men and women that
eliminating sexism is a primary focus
in your life.
– The presence of sexism in society is
hurtful to everyone, not just women.
– It's elimination will enhance every
human being's life