Gender equality is not a ‘women’s issue’. The effects of gender inequality touch all parts of our community. Gender stereotypes have negative effects on people of all genders.
Women are worse off by almost every measure. Whether it’s the pay gap, time spent doing unpaid care, high rates of gendered violence, or not enough women in leadership and public spaces, it comes back to one thing. Gender inequality.
For gender diverse people, identifying, expressing and/or experiencing gender outside the traditional gender binary results in varied forms of discrimination, stigma and exclusion. This discrimination violates rights. It limits participation in society. It also leads to poorer health, economic and social outcomes for gender diverse Victorians.
For men and boys, pressure to conform to some stereotypes of masculinity can impact physical and emotional health. Such stereotypes include having to be tough, stoic, dominant and aggressive. Though girls and young women are more likely to suffer from mental health conditions, men are less likely to seek help for them. [1]
At work, gender stereotypes mean that men may feel less able to call-out outdated ideas or access flexible working policies and parental leave. In Australia, men are twice as likely as women to have flexible work requests denied. [2]
Rigid stereotypes of masculinity play a direct role in men’s violence against women and gender diverse people. We need to address harmful forms of masculinity to prevent gendered violence, as well as engage men and boys in gender equality.
A gender equal society benefits everyone. It makes our communities safer, healthier and more connected.
References
[1] L Clark and J Hudson et al., ‘Investigating the impact of masculinity on the relationship between anxiety specific mental health literacy and mental health help-seeking in adolescent males’, Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 2020, accessed 12 April 2023. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0887618520301067
[2] M Sanders, J Zeng, M Hellicar and K Fagg, ‘The power of flexibility: a key enabler to boost gender parity and employee engagement’, Bain & Company, 2016, accessed 6 February 2023. https://www.bain.com/insights/the-power-of-flexibility/
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