Nurturing Healthy Masculinity Within a Violence Prevention Framework Dr. Jamie Fairfield OPC 2019 HelpLine 6-26-2019 Learning Objectives 1. To define toxic masculinity and describe its role in unhealthy and abusive relationships. 2. To describe the importance of connecting with boys in violence prevention programming. 3. To discuss examples of activities that help boys develop healthy masculinity skills. Objective 1 Correcting Misconceptions Toxic Fighting toxic masculinity is masculinity is not not a way of about calling all men disempowering or or masculinity Toxicshaming masculinity men. Fightingas a whole toxic toxic. dates back to the masculinity is not late 19th Century. about “feminizing” men or turning boys into girls. What is Toxic Masculinity? Toxic masculinity refers to Men who do not exhibit harmful and destructive these traits are often socially behaviors often associated punished, especially by other with traditional masculinity. men. Toxic Masculinity also refers to a culture that allows, encourages, Toxic masculinity is harmful to and even expects men to adhere people of all genders. to these traits. According to a Recent Study… In 2019, the APA released a study stating that: "Socialization for conforming to traditional masculinity ideology has been shown to limit males' psychological development, constrain their behavior, result in gender role strain and gender role conflict, and negatively influence mental health and physical health.” Traits focused on by the APA included Achievement-Obsession Risk taking Violence Aggression Anti-femininity Toxic Masculinity and Men’s Health ● 23% of adult men report binge drinking with 8 or more drinks 5 or more times per week. ● Of the 88,000 people who die annually from alcohol related causes, 62,000 are men. ● 12% of American males age 12 or older have used illegal drugs in the past month, compared to 7.3% of American females. ● Of the 15,872 gun homicides in 2016, 13,615 of the victims were men. ● Men are more than 4 times more likely to complete suicide than women. ● Every day, 3 or more boys complete suicide. ● Men are 33% less likely to seek mental health treatment for depression. ● Fewer than 50% of boys and men with depression seek treatment. Adding the Numbers Up… According to the CDC, 8.6% of all 131,224 men men’s deaths died from were related toxic to toxic male behaviors in behaviors. 2014. These numbers would make it the third most common cause of death among men. Toxic Masculinity and Violence ● In the US, men commit: ○ 90% of gun homicides ○ 96.8% of mass shootings ● 93% of all American inmates are men. Some Gender-Based Violence Statistics ● In the US, men are the perpetrators in: ○ 87% of all stalking cases. ○ 95% of all domestic violence cases. ○ 90% of all sexual assaults committed against women. ○ 93% of all sexual assaults committed against men. Objective 2 History of Sexual Violence Prevention Sexual Violence Prevention in the 1970s and 1980s focused on women learning self-defense. This focus: • Perpetuates myths and stereotypes about sexual assault. • Encourages victim blaming. • Puts the onus for prevention entirely on women. Focusing on Risk Reduction Encourages victim blaming. Only sees men as perpetrators and as potential perpetrators. Makes sexual assault prevention a “women’s issue.” Bystander Approach ● Use the 3D’s This type of intervention is ○ Direct important, but it is not ○ Distract enough by itself. Bystander ○ Delegate intervention is more than being a bouncer. Being an active bystander means actively challenging rape culture. What is Rape Culture? ● Rape culture is an environment in which rape is prevalent and in which sexual violence against women is normalized and excused by the media and popular culture. It is perpetuated by: ○ Misogynistic language ○ Objectification of women’s bodies ○ Glamorization of sexual violence ○ Victim blaming ○ Not believing survivors Bystander Intervention on Deeper Levels An important part of transforming rape Intervention for things at culture is men standing up to other the tip of the pyramid is men and making the things on the important but not enough. lower levels of the pyramid socially unacceptable. Perpetrators are not Monsters Perpetrators are not just monstrous outsiders. They are the products of rape culture. They come across to their friends and associates as normal, regular Redefining Strength Standing up to rape culture does not mean looking down on strength or masculinity. It means redefining what makes someone strong and what it means to be a man. Challenging Social Norms Strength is having the courage to: Show empathy Respect women Interrupt toxic jokes and behaviors Show emotion Objective 3 Challenging Gender Roles Teaching Empathy Healthy Friendships Choosing Positive Role Models Ultimate Goals Additional Resources ● OHMAN (Ohio Men’s Action Network): https://ohman-ohio.org/ ● The Mask You Live In: Documentary ● Jackson Katz “Violence Against Women: It’s a Men’s Issue”: TED Talk ● Tony Porter “A Call to Men”: TED Talk ● Allan Johnson The Gender Knot: Unraveling Our Patriarchal Legacy ● Jackson Katz The Macho Paradox: Why Some Men Hurt Women and How All Men Can Help Questions?.