Title: Why men should care about gender stereotypes - The F-Word
Headings: Why men should care about gender stereotypes
Why men should care about gender stereotypes
Alex Gibson considers the harm done by stereotypes of men as beer-swilling, emotionally-stunted brutes

Content: This is precisely the kind of ridiculous stereotype that, if applied to women, would be torn to shreds in intelligent debate. So why don’t men object at being labelled emotional morons totally in thrall to their basest instincts? Here’s the thing: men don’t have anything remotely equivalent to feminism. From an early age, women are aware of their gender and what it means for their lives, far more than men are. Feminism encourages women to shed gender stereotypes and consider themselves as individuals. Men simply don’t think about gender. Why would you, when it rarely impacts in a noticeable way on your life? Very rarely is your progress barred because you are a man and it is true that male culture generally does not promote frank and open discussion of such issues. Many men aren’t feminists simply because it has never occurred to them that they should be: