Masculinity Crisis Analysis

There is a masculinity crisis happening around the world. The crisis presents itself in many ways. The most noticeable masculinity crisis is within militaries and police forces. The repercussions men face for stepping outside of their “man box” in these two professions can be devastating. The masculinity crisis is also happening within families, schools, religion, and sports; all of these structures meant to preserve strict gender guidelines for boys and men. What is being done to release the tight hold masculinity has on “being a man”? Boyle raises an important question in her article about the movie Goon, she states, “it is puzzling of why so few people problematized the depiction of enforcing violence and masculinity” (2014). This statement

She realized that being a feminist and challenging the patriarchal structure would mean also changing the lives of men (2016). Connell has done extensive research on hegemonic masculinities within schools in relation to violence prevention, education of boys, action on men’s health, and promoting gender equality (2016). In 2003, she worked with the United Nations on preparing policy ideas for the role of men and boys in achieving gender equality where she suggests “new patterns of masculinity might be emerging in transnational spaces” (2016). Social research such as the hundreds of publications Connell has completed will help with the development of programs that can be implemented in different social structures where masculinity is

Ted Bunch and Tony Porter are educators, activists and lecturers at A Call To Men. This organization targets leaders of organizations such as football coaches and military personnel and provides them training. These trainings engage boys and men to find solutions to preventing domestic violence with a strong emphasis on liberating men to liberate women. A Call To Men was born out of the Battered Women’s Movement and has reached over 100,000 people including young men in high school to university, national sports leagues and nearly 20 U.S. Military bases (2016). This organizations motto is, “The Next Generation of Manhood” they live up to this motto by stating how they envision men taking ownership of the problem to create positive social change by being honest, transparent and loving (A Call To Men, 2016). Their goals state that they want men to step out of the “man box” when raising sons and being an example to men around them, motivating other men, utilizing resources and exerting influence within their communities (A Call To Men, 2016). Their top priority is for men to stand up and speak out against all forms of violence and discrimination against them, women and girls. By doing this they are challenging the “man box” and breaking free from their own