How does feminism help men?

Question

I've been noticing that some feminists have been trying to garner male support by saying that "feminism helps men too". Prove it.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

TL:DR summary : feminism destroys gender assumptions for both men and women.

Some concepts feminism covers

1.) Men are not financially responsible for women! If you and your partner come to the decision that you both want the guy to be the bread winner, thats fine, do what works for your relationship. However, feminism addresses that there shouldn't be the expectation that you'll pay for every date or that you have to work yourself to death to support someone who doesn't feel like working. Additionally, its ok if your woman is the bread winner. You two decide you should be a stay at home dad? great! You aren't "less of a man" because you support your family in a different way than gender stereotypes say you should.

2.) Men have emotions and are allowed to show them! There's this silly assumption that men dont cry. Everyone cries. We're human. You aren't less of a man for showing emotion. Quite the opposite, beung comfortable showing your emotions improves your relationships with your female counterparts. Some men on here saying "no woman is gonna be turned on by crying ", uhm, men aren't either. Its not about being sexually attractive, its about having healthy emotional experiences.

3.) Men get raped too. Feminism is a great supporter of sexual assault and harassment victims, reguardless of gender.

4.) Feminism supports the breakdown of racial stereotypes. An assertive black woman isn't "bossy" or "sassy", black men aren't inheritly violent. Black hair doesn't have to be permed or fake to be "Professional "

5.) People are allowed to explore sexuality/sexual desires. Feminism supports sexual freedom. There's this unfortunate fear in straight men of doing something "gay". For example, you can be straight and still like ya girl to put a finger in ya booty hole. It doesn't make you less of a man. It means two consenting adults are doing whatever the heck they want without weird assumptions.

6.) Men aren't responsible for my well being. This isn't just about money as addressed in pt. 1. I am not dependant on my boyfriend for my happiness. We operate as two separate people. Of course as a couple we support one another emotionally but if I really have a probpen2I can't just sit and boohoo to my boyfriend, its not his problem!

7.) Men deserve PAID paternity leave! Your lady love just brought a new life into this world that is 50% you! We think you might want to spend some time with your family and not worry about work for a little bit. Mom is likely exhausted and healing and taking care of a new born is not easily a 1 person job.

8.) Its ok to take pride in your appearance that isn't just a muscular body. Why is it taboo if a man dyes his hair and doesn't like his grey showing through? Or maybe his beard grows in a few different colors and he thinks it would look better if it was a more uniform color. And on the opposite, no one bats an eye at men going grey yet women are pressured to dye their hair?

9.) Self care is for everyone. Its not any less masculine to get nasty calluses taken off your feet via a pedicure. Self care isn't feminine. Self care is genderless. Bubble baths feel amazing, and have great physocal benefits no reason you shouldn't enjoy one just because you have a penis.

10.) Feminism supports body positivity reguardless of gender. Men dont have to have that "dorito chip body ratio" to be attractive. Everyone finds different things attractive. Just let bodies be bodies.

Of course there are femnazis who really aren't feminists, but claim they are. Its unfortunate and they're embarassing to actual feminists. Don't let them speak for actual feminism.

CubsterShura · Accepted Answer

We acknowledge male victims of sexual harassment and advocate due and just punishment for female sex offenders. We are aware that men don't take rape the same way and some actually enjoy it (in which case it's no more rape it's just sex) but it's just that men are equally deserving of justice if they want it. In fact, feminists pressured the FBI to make their definition of rape gender neutral and not something that only happens to women.

We do not shame men for being soft or feminine. More men are getting the opportunity to express their feminine sides in the age that we live in. Women mainly support them while men are the ones shaming them and harassing them. Of course it doesn't mean that we don't appreciate masculine men either. But it's just that, we have a more 'you do you' attitude. I'd never be in a relationship with an effeminate guy myself, however I don't support discriminating them either.

We don't believe that someone should be able to get away with doing something wrong just because she's a woman. Basically, justice shouldn't be favoring any gender. We want men to have it fair as much as we want women to have it fair too.

Many feminists advocate paid paternity leave.

Feminists also advocate increased accessibility of mental healthcare for everyone. Nearly 80% of all successful suicides are committed by men due to mental health issues and we want men to be able to get any treatment that they need. It again comes down to the point that men shouldn't be shamed for not being tough and rough all the time.

Feminists are also against body shaming and it applies for men as well. At least women got different body types and what not to appreciate but men are still all for that one v-taper... I don't support eating disorders or not taking care of yourself but it's just that, it's ok if you're a lean guy and can't bulk up a lot, it's okay if you are a little chubby especially for hormonal issues. We also support media inclusivity for men of all ethnicities as well.

We are against women who trick their men into pregnancy so that he stays with them. No feminist friend of mine ever thought that it's funny or cute.

Alexandriathegreat · Accepted Answer

It doesn't really. the word feminism should be so strongly used. The word equality should however be used in its place. Feminism, is a word that sets female apart from men. Sure men and woman are different sexes but in terms of how we live are life and the options available for human beings, we should be all be represented as equal. That's freedom. Freedom doesn't take gender into consideration. It is meant for humankind as a whole. Gender is used to describe your physical identity, your sexual preference, your DNA, and your health. Seperating one from the other in any other area is not beneficial to either gender. That being said, it's the way things should be- not necessarily the way things turned out to be, and I understand the need to use the word feminism. However at the end of the day, I think it giving off the wrong messege. We're not correcting the need for the movement by supporting something geared towards the theory of woman's equal rights. We're allowing it to remain comparable to the rights of a man. The word itself says we believe to have either less right or more rights.. to have equal rights would be to say human rights.. I know that the word would not exist if it didn't need to exist. And men have created that need, woman didn't place lesser rights upon themselves. But we shouldn't have to pay the price and prove our equality because men throughout history have landed us to do so. Men should be the ones fighting for the equality females deserve. There is nothing that makes anyone superior to another by being born as one instead of another when there is a 50/100 chance you could have been born as the other.. evolution has not created this superiority complex in the minds of men, it was done by those who's minds allow it. And it's playing god. No sorry douche bags who believe they have the right to more rights then a woman. You are not god. And all you've proved is that you, (not your race, your gender or anything other then you as a singled out person) have an unsuperior mind.

ADFSDF1996 · Accepted Answer

It doesn’t. Feminism has been around for decades and has done nothing to help men. Most of the stuff they claim is to “help” men is misguided since they don’t know nor care about what men actually want. They constantly shame masculinity, try to force what they think we want onto us and get confused when we reject it. If they truly cared about men, they would ask us what we want, respect our masculinity and invest efforts into trying to appease our true wishes.

As for male feminists, they are deluding themselves, they are deceived into believing that the 4th wave feminists actually care about them but in reality they are nothing more than propaganda tools. Eventually the 4th wave feminists turn on them due to the fact that they are pressured into portraying the feminist version of the “ideal male” and when they slip up, the feminists come down hard on these guys.

Furthermore, 4th wave feminism doesn’t help women either. It harms women because it tries to force women suppress who they are in order to be more masculine. It’s kind of ironic, they are actually considering femininity to be weak. When in reality femininity can be strong.

For these reasons, many people don’t consider themselves feminists, it doesn’t follow it’s on paper definition.

DarthGarth · Accepted Answer

Feminism helps men by pointing out how they are all still responsible for the way women are treated, because of something that happened 5 generations ago.

MzAsh · Answer

I think it’s helping men who aren’t interested in traditional gender roles to become more comfortable defining their own lifestyle and masculinity.

If a man wants to cook for his wife, he does it with a smile.

If a man wants to be a stay at home dad, he does so happily.

The film The Mask You Live In was a good effort on the part of feminists to explore the narrow ideals of masculinity and how it’s harmful to boys and men, and what can be done in an effort to improve on that.

CoffeeWC · Answer

It's in the name. Feminism was built on giving women more power. The initial feminists didn't care about men's rights.

victoriaxoxo · Answer

I’m a feminist, one of my female friends isn’t. Short summary of my relationships in comparison to hers:

She thinks a man should be the breadwinner, monthly she depletes her bfs finances without feeling two ways about it.

I think that relationships should be 50:50. I always go out my way to get my boyfriend gifts, take him on a holiday and do whatever to make him feel special. Rent is also 50:50.

She expects her man to defend her in any situation. She literally calls him to beat up gangs of guys just for looking at her?

My boyfriend isn’t anymore responsible for my health and well-being that my average friend. I don’t expect him to defend me anymore than he should expect me to defend him. He is also a human being, his well-being is more important than my ego, therefore I wouldn’t risk putting him in a dangerous situations just because he is a male.

She has proclaimed before that if she had a husband and walked into the room to see him crying, she would slap him. He is a man and can’t be a ‘pussy’ and sit there and cry. She confirmed that she would do it even if he is crying over his mothers death.

When I see my boyfriend crying, naturally I will comfort him and inquire into what made him sad. Perhaps I’ll make him food to make him feel better. Not that long ago my boyfriend felt blue because he had an iffy day at work, I ordered him a pizza and we stayed up till late gaming.

My friend spends her days doing nothing and expecting her guy to pick up after her.

I carry my own weight. In fact if I happen to have more experience, at say filling out tax forms, I’ll also help him. That way everything will be way more efficient.

Anonymous · Answer

I think the only way to understand how feminism helps men is to first educate yourself on politics and sociology. Without the awareness of how gender is conditioned, the effects of conditioned "toxic masculinity" on mens health and how that plays out socially, or even a certain value perspective on how humans of different sexes should relate to one another, you probably won't buy it regardless of what is "proven."

You might think fathers beating the tears out of their sons eyes (figuratively or literally) and teaching them to repress all non-aggressive emotions and view women as objects so they can go on to become adults with intimacy issues isn't a big deal. Psychologists and leftists do. It just depends on whether you acknowledge the problems that an ultra masculine archetype can present to most men. It hurts women more, absolutely, but does hurt them as well.

there's also the evidence of what an added huge chunk of a labor force does for economies and supporting families. While some men are up to the task of the pressure of supporting families on their own, not all men want that burden. Some men would rather the woman also work to provide for the family as well. That may not be you, but it sure as hell helps lessen the economic burden of a whole damn family, especially in expensive cities. It also expands opportunities of life possibilities. This is especially true for non-wealthy people. More educational and employment opportunities probably helps a lot of families of married couples avoid poverty. One income for the average man only goes so far.

Less conservative ideas on sex. This depends on the person. You may be ultra conservative, so maybe not you. But for men that want women to feel confident and okay with having sex with them before marriage as a cultural norm, kind of a big deal.

There have been other specific legislative victories you can research. For example, the FBI changed the definition of rape to include men after the "Rape is Rape" campaign by the Feminist Majority. There was some drinking law that was based on gender stereotypes. The Family and Medical Leave Act is an example of many victories for women that also benefited men by default. The priority was women, as they are usually caretakers in families but the Act itself gives 12 weeks of time off from work for all workers who need to take care of a loved one. The Department of Defense ended discriminatory policies that barred women from combat roles, which takes some of the burden off men in military combat. And one of the largest ways feminists have helped men is for all non-white men, as feminists have historically fought side by side with abolitionist and civil rights movements fighting for the end of slavery and civil rights for minorities. Pretty sure that helped a lot of men.

There are literally a ton of other ways that opportunities and justice for women, as a central goal for feminism, have helped men throughout American history and abroad and how it can help men Although, having a defensive "prove it" posturing when you ask the question kind of betrays a lack of a genuine quest for knowledge and shows more of a willful ignorance and lack of education.

RoxiFromTheDark · Answer

1. Feminism helps men by number making it okay for men to show and feel emotions a. k. a the term toxic masculinity which is not masculinity the two are not the same there’s toxic masculinity and just normal masculinity and the difference is one puts you in a box and the other is freeing a man to actually be human.
2. The MeToo movement is for men as well and a lot of feminist want to raise awareness of boys being victims of sexual abused as well and a different kind of oversexulization than woman. How many times has a little boy been raped or molested by a grown woman and society applauded him or made little boys feel like shit for speaking up. How many little boys still to this day don’t say anything because their scared their going to say “weak” which is also a deviating affect of toxic masculinity
3. Bisexuality for men is completely viewed differently than bisexuality for woman and that’s a problem.
4. Courts siding with woman when their are toxic mothers and a household should not be seen in roles between the feminine and masculine because that is a huge problem in court because a mom is seen as a better option for the kids to stay with vs the father like courts will purposely try and make it workout in the moms favor
5. Abuse towards men
And how a lot of it isn’t reported because once again toxic masculinity and being seen as weak.
Also men defending themselves lands them in jail which I think is super fucked.

Investigator · Answer

Feminism is supposed to "help" men by attempting to deconstruct the roles of male and female (in a postmodernist fashion), in an effort to synthesize the qualities of what makes each tick. For example, it might have explained how men's assumed stoic, calm nature is a societally-imposed gender role because men are the hunters of the community and are expected to handle all dilemmas that require strategy and risk-management, while women's more emotional nature is attributed to their expectations as mothers, who are to nurture the young of the next generation into healthy, well-adjusted adults equipped to handle the rigors of life.

Notice I said "supposed", because feminism has morphed from a philosophical look at elements of human nature into a quasi-religion that divides the genders into the roles of oppressor and victim. Any concept of helping men that feminism was ever to deliver has now become diluted and contaminated by a cult of dogmatic allegiance to thought conformity and tribalism.

All of this is a really long-winded way of saying "it doesn't".

englisc · Answer

It doesn't help men in general. It only pretends to.

You'll notice that most feminists talk about toxic masculinity and freeing men up to be more feminine, but that's not really about helping men at all. It's about emasculating them.

These same people are the first to call men whiners and losers when they complain about the things that men actually give a shit about. Most men dont give a shit about the toxic masculinity bollocks or crying. They care about the way men are treated in divorce, child custody, double standards when it comes to domestic abuse. Feminists won't do anything about any of that, in fact feminists cause a lot of problems there by lying about such things, and preventing mens groups from being able to help men.

If they cared about men they wouldn't try to do that, and they wouldn't mock and shame men for talking about these things. But they do, all the time. They always come with this argument that only a small minority of radical feminists hate men, but the reason they get this reputation for hating men is because of the things they say and do themselves. They just seem to lack self-awareness and they believe their own bullshit.

So men in general do not benefit from feminism. Some men do though, not for the reasons feminists think. With feminism came hook-up culture. Feminists were influenced to believe that being promiscuous is empowering. Now for any man who is confident and even moderately attractive casual sex is easy to get. Players get to play because of feminism.

JSmuve · Answer

Paid paternity leave? Is that a thing? I don't know. That might be the only thing of substance I can think of. The only things I see feminists do are complain about things and shame people.

Also, I think this quote from one of the female users here sums the 'benefits' of feminism for men quite nicely. "We do not shame men for being soft or feminine. More men are getting the opportunity to express their feminine sides in the age that we live in. [...] I'd never be in a relationship with an effeminate guy myself, however I don't support discriminating them either."

So basically, they support our right to be emotional, but wouldn't date us because of it. Oh boy, so much incentive to share my feelings. Quick, where's the nearest soapbox so I can vent. Don't forget to bring the kleenex, I'm gonna need it. Pleeeease. If sharing my feelings comes at the cost of being in a relationship, then I'm gonna cork that shit in a bottle and chuck it in the ocean.

Some other women suggest it liberates us from the shackles of our gender roles as men. Yet how many women claim that it's a man's job to pursue and initiate and pay for shit, and so on? Because if he's truly interested in a woman, he would. Right? I've seen that so many times on this site over the years. Clearly we are not quite as liberated as some women let on. Sure, we have choice of not pursuing and taking a more passive role, letting the women come to us. But we can all predict how that will turn out for most guys.

Snakeyes7 · Answer

I heard that it apparently freed men from their gender roles (a change we didn’t want) and allows them to cry (I don’t think that’s true) and even if any of that is true, I don’t think it is enough to make amends for the damage feminists have done against men. Examples include: shutting down any conferences that supports men’s rights, the rise of false accusations of sexual assault, being able to rape a man, get pregnant and sue the victim of child support (Hermesmann v. Seyer), completely remove any legal possibility that a man can be a victim of domestic violence (Duluth model), say you can’t be sexist against men and think all men are rapists (rape culture) (btw RAINN, the USA’s largest anti-sexual assault organization, denies the existence of rape culture. See their letter to the White House in 2014)

Now I know that you are going to say something like “but feminism is for equality, it says so in the dictionary” or “those aren’t real feminists”. First of all, actions speak louder than words and the same dictionary never implies that women are the only victims of sexism. Second, isn’t the very core of the ideology that we live in a society that benefits men over women (aka patriarchy)? If so, then any acknowledgement that men don’t have it so great would completely invalidate your movement. You are also evoking the no true Scotsman fallacy for that reason.

I support equal rights and that is why I am NOT a feminist. If feminism was ever for equality, it certainly isn’t now. I’d rather support equal rights than engage in damage control and defend the reputation of that ideology.

OfDeath · Answer

It doesn't help them at all. Let's look at 2 things feminism does and has done so far and then look at the effect it has on men.

One :Many companies and even governments around the world have policies geared toward if not outright stating that they will reach a certain ratio of female employees or members of parliament.

Another: Universities have lowered the entrance requirements for females to study certain subjects lower than what is for males.

So what does this mean for men? It means less jobs are available to men and it means less University places are also available and by an unfair advantage.

Essentially what feminism is doing to society is forcing a world where only the very best men can get jobs or places at University and the majority of men are left behind to likely live fruitless lives of poverty and or crime.
Whereas for women it makes the world theirs where they don't even have to get as good marks to get into University or have as good credentials to get a job.

This is bad for men. Not good.

Flamesofcinder · Answer

Oh so feminism helps men but still attacks me for being trans? They keep telling me and I quote "your a man invading our spaces and you put us at risk" at risk for what! Taking a really big shit?
"Feminism doesn’t support men!!! And your a just a man pretending to be a woman!!!" Would you like more? Or is that enough to answer your question?

BattleKitten77 · Answer

They are lying cunts. Hell feminazis dont even help women. They are getting women fired from stuff like cheerleading and pit girls (car racing). They ruined womens sports by letting in trans.
Honestly that is the best part to me. Is that the whole womens movement has been highjacked by men in dresses. Just goes to show you how stupid these pigs are.

pleasestopthis · Answer

Well I don't know if this may be labeled as "feminism" but sometimes traditional roles put too much pressure on men (women too, but in a different way).
I want to pay for my own things too, I can treat a guy for dinner too, I don't expect to receive free stuff, get a seat or anything just because I'm a woman.

TreeO2 · Answer

It doesn't matter if some of their arguments make sense or if some of them don't, the way you see a hefty amount of the people with that mindset go about implementing it (and some interacting with men in general, they way they speak to them, treat them ect), it's harmful to guys interacting with them and not helping them mentally at all is the conclusion I've unfortunately come too.

bubblezzzz · Answer

Feminism now a days is too extreme and are a bunch of men haters. I'm a #meninist

Metallsturm · Answer

It helps men during the divorce to get rid of unnecessary stuff they've earned with their hard work, such as money, house, cars etc.

It also helps men to discover more job opportunities (in low-paid, high-risk sectors especially) by denying them higher positions due to pussy quotas.

It helps men to discover new places (such as high security prisons) and kinks (such as forced anal sex in said prison) due to girls nonchalantly suing guys for "rape" whether one was committed or not and status quo "believe her" in courts. Even if a guy miraculously turns out to be an innocent, it helps men to discover the world, as by the time he'll be proven innocent whole city will assume he is guilty, therefore a man will have to move elsewhere.

How can you not see how wonderful it is?

Anonymous · Answer

Feminism has done nothing to help men, but it has done a hell of a lot to hurt men, AND women. Let's have a look at the "accomplishments" of feminism:

- Made public schools cater to the needs of girls only and treat boys like defective girls
- Made the two genders hate one another
- Demonized masculinity
- Convinced women they are all victims who can’t survive without help
- Misled women into believing they could “have it all”
- Made stay-at-home moms feel worthless
- Convinced women that anything but vanilla sex was “disrespectful to women”
- Told the lie that males and females are the same
- Convinced women they are better off raising children without a father
- Propped up women by dragging down men and telling them they are worthless
- Lied to both genders about what the other gender wants

Mil00 · Answer

There are very positive responses for men, yet men are still disliking them. BUT, If someone makes a joke about feminists, or says "NOTHING. FEMINIST HATE MEN". It has 12+ likes.

You have feminists, then you have the radicals.
That's in just about any movement or group.
Bunching in a whole group because of a handful is bad.
"Well they think all men are evil".
That's a broad statement.

So, radicals are ge realizing, and some men are generalizing. It's a lose lose.

What does that tell you.

SkipStop · Answer

It doesn't. Feminism is misandry. It's about hating men and taking men down. Same with #metoo. It's another form of feminism. To take down innocent men. And saying that feminism is about equality is the biggest lie young girls are told. Now, the Men's Rights Movement is about equality. Everyone who needs help should have access to help. Man, woman, white, black, old, young, etc. And judges need to be fired and replaced by people with common sense. Being a man does not mean he deserves more jail time. Being a man does not mean he is the criminal. Being a man does not mean he's a rapist. Being a man does not mean he shouldn't be allowed to defend himself. There is no such thing as Toxic Masculinity. There is no such thing as Manspreading or Mansplaining, and whatever other sh*t that came out of feminist's mouths.
Watch "The Red Pill Documentary"

lucasnabizada · Answer

It doesn't it makes them miserable, it associates male image with oppression by default on account of the past, which they saw as an oppressive patriarchy, hence something which is necessary to be torn down, to rip it apart you need to first destroy the strength and vitality of men themselves.
The problem is in a western society where no right afforded to men is not afforded to women, you are trying to disenfranchise men simply for being men, the essence of sexism which is what feminism is in ideal suppose to remedy.
Fighting something by using the very thing you are fighting against is both purely ironical and the definition of insanity, which is what third wave feminism is, insane. It victimizes women, oppress men and makes up lie to keep breathing

How does feminism help men?

Most Helpful Opinions

Most Helpful Opinions

What Girls & Guys Said

How does feminism help men?

Most Helpful Opinions

Most Helpful Opinions

What Girls & Guys Said

We're glad to see you liked this post.