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Should men embrace feminism for their own sake?

Published July 9, 2008 10:05PM (EDT)

In a column in the U.K.'s Guardian, Dave Hill argues that men should embrace feminism -- not only for women's sake but for their own, too. He makes a good case: Feminism is all about -- or should be all about -- "fair play, freedom of choice" and saving both women and men from "gender policing." I couldn't agree more with his ultimate conclusion:

Sensible, grown up, non-sectarian feminism recognises all of this and seeks ways for men to combat it. This is not a matter of asking men to forgo every traditional bond and pursuit in favour of their "feminine side" but of inviting them to see that such distinctions are limiting and very largely artificial. It's not a matter either of unmanning the alleged essential male, but about men flourishing and developing in all areas of their lives, including as parents and in the home. It's about making modern, dual-earner, heterosexual relationships work better; more democratically. It's about a chap discovering that he too can be a nurse in the nursery, a cook in the kitchen and a lover in the bedroom and also, should he be so inclined, wrestle grizzly bears and grout the bathroom tiles as well -- and be happy for women to enjoy such freedoms, too.


By Tracy Clark-Flory

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