WCU?s LUVIM series and Man-Up!, a new campus organization raising awareness of men?s issues and challenging male stereotypes, concluded Men?s Issue Day on Thursday night in Philips Autograph Library by hosting a sociologist, professor, and pro-feminist male who encouraged men to support women?s issues and erase masculine stereotypes.Dr. Michael Kimmel, who teaches sociology at the State University of New York and is recognized for his course Sociology of Masculinity, outlined ways in which women?s lives have changed and said that men must adapt and support such changes to better their own lives and existence.
Kimmel stated that today women make gender visible, and it is a “basic, fundamental, bedrock”part of their identities. Because of gender visibility, women?s studies courses have formed across the country and women?s roles have progressed.
Women?s lives have also changed because they?ve entered the work force in great numbers over the last few decades, and women realize that it is possible to be able to work and support a family. Today, women?s lives have also changed sexually, and they are no longer ashamed to want sex and pleasure, according to Kimmel.
Kimmel blamed male gender stereotypes and the notion of masculinity as obstacles to male happiness and also reasons why males may be hesitant to support female issues. He said that men are raisedto avoid being labeled as a sissy and are taught by their peers and the media to be edgy and aggressive. Men also prove their masculinity by their money and pay checks.
“What it means to be a man means the same today as it did 40 years ago,” said Kimmel. He said that men trap each other within masculine stereotypes by degrading each other or labeling a male “gay” when he may show emotion or act like a “sissy.” “Proving our masculinity becomes a relentless test,” he said.
Yet Kimmel stated that men need to take greater responsibility and support women. He encouraged men to adapt and accept the major, positive changes that have occurred in women?s lives. For instance, men should not feel threatened by women entering the work force. Instead, men should make women feel comfortable and equal.
He also said that men must take more responsibility within the family. Kimmel stressed that fathers must create quality time with their children and be nurturing, loving, and willing to spend more time with them.
If men want to have a healthy relationship with their children and wives, they should also do some of the housework and chores, according to Kimmel?s speech. “When men share housework and child care, they will have the kind of relationship they want to have,” he said.
Kimmel listed several studies that proved when men share the labor and routines of child care and house work with their wife, it makes everyone happier. The studies Kimmel mentioned found that when fathers spend sufficient time with their children, the children have less problems and perform better in school. Doing household chores also eases the tension and stress that a wife may have, creating a more stable marriage.
Kimmel also said that men must break the stereotypes of masculinity to eliminate the spread of sexual diseases and to stop sexual assault. He said that safe sex is the most practical way to stop the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Yet he said that men often despise safe sex because of masculine roles and identities. “For men, safety is the negation of pleasure,” he said.
Kimmel also said that for women, safe sex and respect is a pre-condition, and men must take responsibility for their actions and realize that no means no. “[Men] could end rape in this country tonight if we make the right choices about what we do with our bodies,” said Kimmel.
To create change, Kimmel also said men must support and help each other. He also said that men must challenge other men who are sexist, and it should be done publicly.
Kimmel is the author of several books concerning masculine identity and gender issues, including “Against the Tide: Pro-Feminist Men in The United States 1776- 1990,” “Man-Hood in America: A Cultural History” and “The Politics of Manhood.”
The group that worked to bring Dr. Kimmel to campus, Man Up!, meets on Mondays at 5 p.m. on the second floor of Lawrence. The group supported Kimmel?s speech on campus because of his expertise on men?s issues. “Dr. Michael Kimmel is a nationally renowned gender issues speaker, one of the absolute best; therefore, there is no [question] as to the reason we wanted him to speak,” said Steve Brenoskie, president of the club.
In the future, Man Up!, which became an official organization last Tuesday after SGA approval, will work to boost their membership, launch other events targeting men?s issues, and encourage university officials to make Men?s Issue Day a permanent event each spring semester. The club will continue to address and try to change male stereotypes, and the club?s goals reflect what was said in Kimmel?s speech.
“We hope to help everyone realize that a “true” man is someone pure, kind, yet courageous, a person who takes care of business, respects others, and thinks for himself,” said Brenoskie.