Feel good Sunday: Redefining masculinity for a better world
Calling for a shift in perspective, gender equality advocate Gary Barker sheds light on the importance of cultivating a culture that promotes care, empathy, and meaningful connections among men. Barker emphasizes our innate capacity for compassion, asserting that it’s a skill that must be honed through practice.
Startling statistics reveal that one in three women worldwide falls victim to violence at the hands of a male partner. The overwhelming majority of perpetrators are men. Research conducted across various countries indicates that roughly two-thirds of men admit to experiencing physical violence from another male during their childhood. This exposure to male violence becomes an integral part of their journey to manhood.
Disturbingly, around 40 to 50 percent of men globally subscribe to a distorted version of masculinity. This toxic ideology revolves around outperforming others at any cost, suppressing vulnerability, viewing sex as conquest rather than connection, constantly projecting toughness, and resorting to violence as a means to achieve their desires. These beliefs are not mere rhetoric; they shape the reality in which men live.
Gary Barker urges us to redefine masculinity, placing empathy at its core.
https://www.ted.com/talks/gary_barker_a_reframing_of_masculinity_rooted_in_empathy
