![]() When they do their fair share at home, men themselves are also happier and healthier. Kimmel points to research that shows when men share housework and childcare, their children do better at school, they have higher rates of achievement, lower rates of absenteeism, are less likely to be diagnosed with ADHD and childhood depression, less likely to see therapists and to be put on medication.Īt the same time, their wives are happier, healthier, less likely to go to a therapist or be put on prescription medication, less likely to be diagnosed with depression, more likely to go the gym and they report higher levels of marital satisfaction. Men need convincing that gender equality is good for them on an individual level – and that can start with their home life. “It is not a zero sum game,” said Kimmel. Men need to understand that gender equality does not mean they “get less of the pie”, but that the pie gets bigger. “What we know is not only is gender equality right and fair and just, but we also know that it is smart. ![]() “These are all easily calculable labour costs,” he says. Kimmel says men need to understand and believe the business case for gender equality: that companies that are more gender equal have a high rate of return on investment, higher profitability, lower labour costs, lower turnover, higher job satisfaction and lower levels of absenteeism. White men in Australia, North America and Europe are the beneficiaries of the single greatest affirmative action program in the history of the world. because we grew up thinking this is a level playing field and any policy that tilts it a little bit, we think it is reverse discrimination against us. “Without confronting men’s sense of entitlement, we will never understand why so many men resist gender equality. The second obstacle is men’s sense of entitlement, which leads to the resistance from those who believe handing over power means they lose, says Kimmel. And research suggests male CEOs with daughters run more socially responsible firms. When men become fathers of girls, they often become instant feminists, says Kimmel. Men start comprehending the issues when they see women and girls that they love facing discrimination. “We have to make men aware that gender is as important to us as it is to women.” Obliviousness to gender is the first obstacle to recruiting men to the cause of gender equality, he says. The question is then, how do we get men engaged in this conversation?”, asks Kimmel. “We cannot fully empower women and girls without engaging boys and men. Kimmel, who has spent his career studying men and masculinity, says the absence of men in gender discussions is a problem. Too many men still believe in the myth of the level playing field and that the word “gender” is another synonym for “women”.Ī report by KPMG for the ASX corporate governance council released in May demonstrates how many employers are just paying lip service to diversity policies, by implementing them without targets for inclusion. This obliviousness is often why men don’t turn up to workshops on gender equality and why there is such resistance to corrective mechanisms such as gender targets at work. While white, middle class men may be oblivious to their inherited advantages, those who differ from the norm are always being made aware of their difference, whether it is because of the street harassment endured by young women or the fact that people with foreign-sounding names have to lodge more than 60% more applications to get hired as their Anglo-Celtic rivals. I am universally generalisable,” says Kimmel. However, the people who have those things are usually unaware of their power and influence. Privilege comes in a myriad of forms, including race, gender, wealth, physical fitness, safety, and educational attainment and indeed height. Kimmel, author and distinguished professor of sociology and gender studies at New York’s Stony Brook University, was in Sydney recently to talk about how to engage more men in the discussion around gender equality at work. “Privilege is invisible to those who have it.”
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