@Kebby is it true that men are superior. The issue is that, some men think they are superior by virtue of being a male; making such claims however flies in the face of the common reality that the concept of ‘masculinity’ in its conservative sense is in fact a myth. What do you think?
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@Buzo it is still difficult to get some men to subscribe to the concept of gender equality because it is inconsistent with their upbringing in traditional sense. Even though a lot of NGOs are begining to make efforts to engage men and boys in gender equality programming, the success has been critically limited. What will it take to get men and boys on board?
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Thanks for this again good initiative. Am Joseph Abby Tembo of PASME Radio Station from Eastern Province of Zambia. I wish to be together and complete all sharing weeks.
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Hello everyone. This is Denis Ngwenya writing from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second largest city located to the south western part of the country. I am a community radio activist responsible for the programs in a community radio initiative called Y-FM. Like in previous discussions, I am hoping to learn a lot of new things from this discussion about positive masculinity. Whilst gender inequality has been talked about for a long time and now seems to be a threadbare topic, most nations seriously lag behind as far as gender equality and women empowerment are concerned.
My understanding of masculinity is that it is a way that men use to influence and change the inbalances/ inequalities that exist in our respective communities as far as opportunities are concerned between males and females. Traditions and culture, since time immemorial, have have always been used by the society to foment the inequalities. Men have always been the beneficiaries of this system. Women on the other hand have borne the brunt and despite the important roles they play, they rarely get any recognition or praises. I am hoping to hear from colleagues, their experiences with this much talked about topic.
Hello brother Christian. It has been a while since my last communication found its way to your inbox. I read your submission with a lot of interest. I need to be enlightened: Did colonization and foreign influence bring negative masculinity to Africa? If it is the case, why are most European countries far ahead from Africa in terms of gender equality and equity? Why is Africa (and probably Asia) still far behind in promoting gender equality to meet the sustainable development goals? … Just my thoughts brother Christian, I would like to hear your response.
Hello everyone. I’m Patel Chris from Zimbabwe…I’m currently studying journalism and I’m also a youth leader. I expect to learn a lot about positive masculinity.
To me, positive masculinity means men/boys doing things that help women/girls to fully develop without being prejudiced. I think it’s more like men seeing women as their equals than lesser human being
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Good afternoon, my name is Caleb Likomeno from Mufumbwe North Western Zambia.
Am grateful for being found in this group.
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Good morning,
My name is Yonda Banda. I am a presenter at Mphangwe FM radio in Katete district , Eastern province Zambia.
In my understanding, Positive masculinity is when men use their physical and emotional strength to champion healthy behaviors and communities. Positive masculinity is the antithesis of toxic masculinity. The focus of positive masculinity is to help generations of men learn healthy behaviors and then develop more robust communities.
It’s about displaying vulnerability, emotional intelligence, and moral courage. It demands a re-examination of what it means to be a man—to redefine how the world envisions
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Hello everyone
Great to see everyone on board. We also see a number of people joining us for the first time. You are welcome! We are delighted you joined us @patelsiziba02 @Esau @Francyn @Dave @Blessing1 @Kebby
We also welcome back everyone else.
Great insights on what everyone understands about positive masculinities. Today is the last day of Week 1, let us make the most of it. If you have not contributed yet, please do so.
Cheers
Hell am learning everyone’s comment
It is high time for each community to encourage women to courageous . Because some women can do better than men .
But it doesn’t means men should leave their duties to the woman, because we also looking at cultural values and traditional mottos .
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Hi everyone!
My understanding on positive masculinity is that A man who is truly masculine embraces responsibility and loves, protects and provides for his family and loved ones. He lives with integrity, motivated by conviction, not comfort or convenience.
True masculinity is not determined by how much physical strength a man has but rather the strength of his character.
Max from Namwianga Radio.
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Hello friends,
My name is Mutayoba Arbogast working with Karagwe FM,Kagera region in Tanzania,as a journalist and presenter.
Positive masculinity is built into children during early childhood development ,at the age of 0 to eight,the early learning deeply affect their future in physical,cognitive,emotional and social development.
It is at this stage where healthy masculinities start with individual feelings and emotions,when/if they cant hear and see vulnerability,personal traumas and gender-based violence,hence they’ll grow up respecting women rights and obligations.
Positive masculinity is there to show the behaviours and roles of men without undermining the other side.
We should use words and terminology without allowing the possibility of negative effect of harmful masculinity i.e instead of chairman,say chairperson
manhood-humanity/humankind
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Hello, am Edith Peter Mchewere from Vos fm FM Tanzania
To My understanding, Masculinity is one of the struggles with so much of the literature surrounding the toxic masculinity, or the harms that gender norms cause.
Men are taught an early age of what isn’t manly doseand does which they must do or must avoid being weak, emotional, and shy.
It is when men uses their physical and emotional strength to champion healthy behaviors and communities. Positive masculinity is the antithesis of toxic masculinity. The focus of positive masculinity is to help generations of men learn healthy behaviors and then develop more robust communities.
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My names are Ruth Banda I work for Petauke Explorers Radio Station as a programs officer and news editor in Petauke district eastern part of Zambia
What is positive masculinity?
In my own understanding positive masculinity is when men take the lead in using their physical and emotional strength to bring healthy behaviors in our respective communities.
Helping the communities to create equal opportunities for both men and women in the society.
Positive masculinity is being honest about oneself feelings, needs and desires but not forgetting to treat others the same way with kindness and respect especially women so that they can build self confidence act together with men.
It is when men at work place have confidence in women to lead and hold decision making positions and avoid sexual harassment in work places.
Positive masculinity is when men use their healthy behaviors avoid situations that lead to gender based violence at family and community level.
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Hello Everyone
My Names are Shatewa Kanyembo-Radio Producer- National Agricultural Information Services (NAIS), under the Ministry of Agriculture, Lusaka, Zambia.
Positive Masculinity, like many have explained, is when men use their physical and emotional strength to promote healthy behaviors and communities.
My Understanding
While still maintaining their self-worth, this is where men/boys provide an equal environment for both men/boys and women/girls to reach their full potential in their personal and community endeavors.
Positive Masculinity is something that must start at an individual, home/family and eventually community level.
However, in order to achieve meaningful positive masculinity, Tradition, Culture and Religion must not be sidelined.
Thank you.
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@Kebby @Donjosh @Busi_Ngcebetsha @Banda @Esau @Shatewa @edithpeter @AlfredJamesMungwa @Angie @AnjelinaMkabili
It was a great pleasure reading all the friendly debates and insightful comments about what it means to be a man in an African context. There have been some interesting points worth highlighting. Patriarchy and hypermasculinity have been rightly identified as a persisting enigma in the fight to end gender-based voilence. Dismantling and changing patriarchal culture unless we engage in collective discussion about its impact on our lives as men and women.
The social expectation on men and boys is regarded as ‘tradition’ and therefore rarely interrogated, even though they are central to understanding and tackling violent masculinity. Cross-cultural studies have unpacked how hegemonic masculinities serve to encourage and legitimise violent practices by men toward other men, women, and children.
Engaging men and boys is important because gender equality programming must ensure that power relations are addressed, particularly power relations between men and boys, along with broader strategies that ensure that institutionalised gender norms are addressed.
There is strong evidence that empowerment, social justice and progressive gender change can best be achieved through strategic partnerships, including gender partnerships with men to ensure that they do not become obstacles to the success of gender equality initiatives. Partnerships with men can open new doors and provide access to valuable resources, through solidarity and cooperation, to achieve social progress for both men and women. I look forward to engaging further with you next week; we’ll unpack and deconstruct masculinity and the socio-economic challenges associated with toxic masculinity. Wishing you all a restful weekend.
Somed Shahadu
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@Betty @Buzo @Blessing1 @Bintispark @Charles_LubaoFM @Dave @Dominic01 @Francyn @Franklin @febbyphiri98
Thank you.
And because of marginalizing women it has caused more havoc than good… some women who are not yet married feel they should achieve much in life before they get married and those that have been married tend to go against all odds to compete with there spouses so as to prove a point that they are also able to do what men can do.
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Hello everyone
Week 1 is over! Thank you to all who contributed. The week was about getting to know each other and also sharing our own understanding of positive masculinities. We understand this is quite a new term for many of us and thus before contributing we do our own little research, unfortunately that research made us copy and paste from the same source and it ended up being like people are copying each others contributions. We appreciate the effort on those people but we can do better than that.
I enjoyed reading even the examples and experiences that display gender inequality and how positive masculinities can change the situation.
This is a summary of what people shared about their understanding of positive masculinities:
- it refers to the characteristics and responsible behavior specific to men;
- it calls on men to be active in promoting gender equality;
- it is an attitude that should be adopted by men in contributing to the fight against gender inequalities;
- it is an attitude to be adopted by men to treat women as equal partners;
- it is to ensure that men abandon sexist and discriminatory attitudes;
- it promotes men’s commitment to respecting the principle of gender equality;
- it refers to the characteristics and behaviors specific to men
- it is about men recognizing the value of women
- it is the recognition of equality between men and women
- it is an act of promoting gender equality and raising awareness of behaviour change;
- it is the role that the male gender must play to bring men to consider the place of women in the family, society and even in their environment;
- positive masculinity calls for a change of attitude with regards gender inequality
Our gender resource person @somedshahadu also shared some insights and I will quote just one point:
Tomorrow we get deeper into the discussion about positive masculinities.
Cheers
My name is Thandiwe Maduma, from Siavonga southern province of Zambia. I work for Kariba FM radio in Siavonga as a programmes manager.
Positive masculinity refers to good psysical and emotional traits that are used by men to influence or bring out healthy behaviors in a society.
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