Why feminists should care about International Men’s Day In a world where men dominate politics, business, law and the media, you could be forgiven for thinking every day […]

In a world where men dominate politics, business, law and the media, you could be forgiven for thinking every day is International Men’s Day.

It is understandable why some feminists question the need to dedicate a day to a group of people who have enjoyed unchallenged privilege for centuries. But in 2016, International Men’s Day is needed more than ever before.

What it means to be a man in the 21st century is rarely spoken about, and when it is, it is often done so apologetically.

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It is little surprise men feel uncomfortable about defending themselves in the wake of high profile sex abuse allegations levelled against Donald Trump, Bill Crosby and Jimmy Savile, to name a few.

“Ultimately, women will benefit too if as a society we can tackle aggressive behaviour, mental health and educational underachievement”

Crisis in male identity

Men are routinely portrayed as perpetrators, and seldom as victims. Society tells them it is unacceptable to appear vulnerable, to show emotions or cry.

In an era where it has become acceptable for men to put a kiss “x” after their texts to one another, male identity still falls into two separate camps: macho or metrosexual.

Women, meanwhile, have women’s officers, women’s writers and a whole hour on the radio dedicated to women.

There could not be more opportunities to discuss the experience of being a woman today. Frozen out of safe spaces, there seems little room for men to do the same.

Suicide: the biggest killer of men

In this age of oversharing on social media, when it has never been more socially acceptable to tell your peers how you feel, men are still struggling.

Suicide is the single biggest killer of men under the age of 50, and men are three times more likely than women to die by suicide, according to the ONS.

Boys underachieve at school

Young men also under-achieve in the education system. A study of OECD countries last year found that boys are 50 per cent more likely than girls to fall short of basic standards in reading, mathematics and science.

In the UK, white boys from working class families are ranked among the worst performing ethnic group in the country, with three quarters failing to achieve five GCSEs at A*-C.

Men do not have same rights to their children

And although men have become more involved as fathers, they do not have the same statutory support as women to spend time with their babies. They are only entitled to a maximum of two weeks’ paternity leave in the UK, compared with 52 weeks for women.

This week, MPs debated International Men’s Day in the House of Commons chamber for the first time. It came a year after Labour MP Jess Phillips disparaged the idea, saying there was as much need for the awareness day as “white history month or able body action day”.

True equality includes men

Like Jess Phillips, I am proud to consider myself a feminist. But if we are going to strive for true equality, surely it is only fair that men have an international day of recognition as well.

Not giving men the validity to think about their own struggles does nothing to help advance the women’s cause.

Ultimately, women will benefit too if as a society we can tackle aggressive behaviour, mental health and educational underachievement.