Men Are Oppressed Too!

The oppression of men is an extremely complex phenomenon to understand. It has always been hidden, disguised, indirect, innumerous, severe, carefully conspired and going on for thousands of years. Above all, it's carefully and forcibly unacknowledged. Today, it would be seen as 'startling' and 'unbelievable' at the best and outright 'ridiculous' and 'scandalous' at the worst to talk about man's oppression. It's not easy to see even the misery and pain of men, even when it is extreme. It is so well hidden not only from the world but from the man himself. It's just not acknowledged. No place for it in the society. No value for a man's tears. Tears are 'feminine'. The mechanisms of man's oppression are just as invisible as his tears. Once you are sensitised and you learn to look beyond what is 'obvious' and you slowly start witnessing it all. The first things that point to the size and nature of these invisible mechanisms are the extraordinary and intense pressures that the society (or rather a section of it) exerts to sustain or strengthen the mechanisms. The masculinity with which boys are born, is natural masculinity. This is given by nature. However, society has created a mechanism whereby it does not acknowledge this natural masculinity. It has instead created its own version, which we shall call 'social masculinity'. Social masculinity is not naturally endowed, but has to be granted by society. Society does not accept a person as a 'man' unless he fulfils certain pre-conditions of roles or expectations of society, referred to as 'male gender and sexual roles', or 'social masculinity roles. A person is not considered a man without social manhood. This social mechanism is designed to control male behaviour, especially male sexual behaviour. The result is silent severe oppression of men.

Some of the "Social Masculinity" Roles are:
1. Men don't have any emotions. They should suppress their emotions and problems.
2. They are rough and tough and should NOT complain about women.
3. Men are expected to be physically tall, strong, and brave.
4. They are supposed to protect and provide women.
5. They are supposed to make sacrifices, even sacrificing their lives, to protect and provide women.
6. They are not supposed to have weaknesses or vulnerabilities. They must not show feelings as these would make them appear weak or vulnerable.
7. They should always be willing to fight their way and defend their families. They should not return from a fight.
8. They should not have any feelings.

The result is that men are far more prone to heart attacks and stroke. Their life expectancy is some 5-6 years less than women, worldwide. Similarly, the social construct of manhood makes them NOT to complain about women, even if their women are causing them grievious hurt! Women's education is subsidised and a lot of support systems exist for them to open shop. While men are paying 82% of taxes in India and are denied any kind of support systems. Yet, it is men who are supposed to provide for women. Every year, 3 times more men commit suicide than women and yet there are no support systems or even laws to protect men. All this is happening in a society that claims to have dumped the earlier traditional roles and concepts of gender and has women working in all fields and having more constitutional rights than men!

It is high time that men are liberated from their traditional roles and their masculinity is redefined based in natural masculinity and NOT with the kind of contradictions stated above. Men have always been considered as disposable and have been taken for granted.

It is high time men understand that are NOT privileged and have been suppressed too!