I just came across this article, which I thought had pretty
discouraging implications. A new study has confirmed a tension many of us have
already encountered- male discomfort with their partner’s success. The article
notes:
“It didn’t seem to matter to men what the circumstances of
their girlfriends’ success was. Whether the success was social or intellectual,
whether it related to the boyfriend’s failure or was just something the woman
achieved independent of anything the boyfriend did, the men still tended to
feel worse about themselves when their girlfriends succeeded”
I found this article interesting because it demonstrates how
men are also negatively impacted by the gender stereotypes that persist to this
day. Obviously this trend negatively effects women- the article theorizes that
power struggles could be an instigator to intimate partner violence, and in
general, could make women feel insecure about their successes. However, I think
it is also important to consider how topics and issues that we discuss in
women’s studies classes impact other groups as well. I know multiple young men
my age that scoff at the idea of a women’s studies classes, and fail to see the
ways that these issues impact their mothers, sisters, girlfriends, classmates,
and even themselves. I thought this was a great example of how dysfunctional
cultural perceptions can negatively impact such individuals who think women's studies issues only concern the nagging bra-burners.
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ReplyDeleteThank you so much for posting this, Hannah! I think this is a serious problem, especially on college and university campuses. I think it's a huge reason why there's this "hook-up culture" and rape culture at institutions of HIGHER LEARNING. Ignorance.
ReplyDeleteAfter my boyfriend took that intro to women's studies class, he left every class feeling enlightened and as he put it, "like a fog had been lifted", he say what was always there he just wasn't informed on the issues. He believes even now that everyone should be required to take at least one women and gender class.
Although I agree that academic classes are (obviously) great setting for learning and growth, but I think learning from peers experiences is important too. A dialogic setting, a safe space where all genders and identities can learn from each other. I guess in a perfect world..
This is a good example of how feminism and getting rid of these gender differences can benefit both men and women.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree ^^ I'm thinking of trying to start some sort of campaign to try and get more men on campus involved/ or interested in women's studies classes for the small service project, if anyone is interested in helping! I would like to highlight things like this so as to frame feminism as it should be: an issue for both sexes, all genders, everybody!
ReplyDeletelet me know if you want to collaborate!