Män tjänar på jämställdhet

Män tjänar på jämställdhet anser Michael Kimmel, mansforskare från the State University of New York, Stony Brook.

It's a good idea to remind men that they, too, stand to gain from gender equality,Research shows that in marriages where women and men share the household work and parental duties, the whole family feels better, both mentally and physically.

For women, the past 30-40 years have meant a revolution - one that they themselves have conducted. They have taken their place in the employment market. And they have continued to run things at home. Today's women want the best of both worlds.

Men have largely gone on stamping around on the same old turf, with the same old male ideals. It has to do with the fact that those in privileged positions are unable to see that they are privileged. Therefore today's gender-based power structure must be made visible to men.

A 'real' man shouldn't do anything feminine, he should be big, strong, successful and daring.

Many men at the top work that magical 80-hour week because they believe they have to. Many of them, however, are not happy about it, and would rather spend more time with their families. But if women, too, are to hold executive posts, men will have to change their attitudes and their behaviour and share the household duties with their working wives.

Men do not lose their masculinity when they 'fail' in their careers, and nor do women lose their femininity when they succeed in their careers. Many men seem to think that when women stand to gain something, men stand to lose. But that's not the way it is. Women's careers benefit men's. Women bosses are more likely to accept that men take parental leave and spend more time with their families. And it's quantity time that's important here.

It's when you spend more time with your family - even when you're doing boring everyday tasks - that you become a good father and husband. That's the only way.

Ett sammandrag från Michael Kimmels anförande vid Women to the Tops slutkonferens januari 2005