BALANCE THE WORLD

Change triggers fear.
Standard gender roles are safe and comforting.
Change is uncomfortable:
Will I lose my privilege?
What is my new role?
What is my identity?
What is OK and not OK now? I am lost.
A lot of men fear losing their power.
According to Hanna Rosin in The End of Men, men in the US are set to
dominate just 2 of the 15 categories of jobs projected to grow in the next
decade: computer engineering and janitoring.
According to Grayson Perry in The Descent of Man, “men are sold a big
dream of power, but it goes only to a privileged few. A lot of men are sold the
narrative of power and domination but lead lives of frustration and servitude.
No wonder they get angry. Anger is a response to the feeling of powerlessness.
The idea that gender is in our genes is convenient. It leaves us off the
hook, with no need to think or reflect. Feminism has always been
forward-looking. We believe women’s rights will come, that change shall be
embraced. Many men are nostalgic. Masculinity so far is harking back to
some mythical age when “men were men.” A time when men dominated
women. A positive change in masculinity would be a massive positive change
for the world.”
Denial is still widespread.
A way to avoid change is to refuse to acknowledge the problem.
Denial takes many forms:
Questioning the figures.
Relativizing the situation.
Saying it’s already better now.
Making jokes.
Being cynical about the situation.
Blaming the other.
Leveraging different strategies as defense mechanisms and protection.
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