Mens Rights Thread

iptba · 26-01-2022 3:57pm

Heard about this case on BBC news:

”Met Police apologise after officers used 'sexist, derogatory and unacceptable language' during strip search”

https://www.mylondon.news/news/east-london-news/met-police-apologise-after-officers-22863115.amp

Clearly unacceptable language but it is maybe interesting that all the comments about the woman were from three female police officers. I wonder if men talking about a man would be called sexist.

FishOnABike · 26-01-2022 7:24pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118533617#Comment_118533617

From the content of the report women appear to be one of the few groups Doug Beattie hasn't insulted, yet he feels he owes an explanation to or should apologise to the women in his party rather than the multiple sectors he has insulted 🙄.

I guess even showing a modicum of intelligence at this stage would be a departure from his track record.

iptba · 29-01-2022 5:45pm

It was pointed out on a thread, I think this one, that all the presenters for the daytime weekday shows were female after a male cohost was let go.

I thought this quote might be interesting:

“So, we are delighted to announce she has a permanent home on Saturday and Sundays from 9am. 2FM has been at the forefront of promoting new female talent and with Laura Fox, Emma Power and Aifric O'Connell this continues across the station.”

https://m.sundayworld.com/showbiz/celebrity/former-miss-sunday-world-laura-fox-officially-unveiled-as-2fms-newest-dj-41289509.html

Caquas · 29-01-2022 6:18pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118440628#Comment_118440628

If fact, she had no points to make other than her dislike of men in lycra.

She says these men are “a fantastic example of the flaws of modern protest” and I was curious to understand what they were doing wrong but she doesn’t illustrate this claim with a single instance. Just some vague idea that some of them get carried away and some are stirring things up using social media. And this from a woman who is proud of her participation in all kinds of protests.

I think her attitude is “I agree with their aims but I hate to be seen near them”. If she wrote like this about any other group….but what’s new,

iptba · 31-01-2022 7:42pm

I wasn't sure which thread to post this to

Remote working could lead to new gender divide, stakeholders warn

Remote working likely to become feminised if employers return to old ways, Ictu warns

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/remote-working-could-lead-to-new-gender-divide-stakeholders-warn-1.4789195

Orla O’Connor, director of the National Women’s Council of Ireland, says women are more likely to seek flexible work options “in the absence of proper, affordable childcare . . . so it is important they are there.

“But if women take up remote working more than men, we would be concerned there are strategies to ensure that doesn’t have implications for their careers.”

She says companies should consider a gender balance among remote-working employees, and she further recommends measures to ensure inclusion and participation of all employees in the workplace culture.

iptba · 01-02-2022 8:41pm

Here's the latest batch of gender-related hashtags/items I have noticed trending for anyone interested (I know some are not)

(Aside: I'm not on Twitter 24/7 of course and don't look back at lists for when I wasn't on)

I also threw in some other posts as I didn't want to post too frequently.

Aside: I sort of gave up looking at Twitter hashtags for a while after the Tullamore murder as it was everywhere and I felt I needed a bit of a break

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BuzzFeed

I'm Applauding These 18 Famous Women Who Called Out Hollywood For The Way It Depicts Women On Screen

#InternationalMensDay

The UN marks International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

Trending with #16Days

#GenerationEquality

Los Angeles Times

Alice Sebold’s memoir, ‘Lucky,’ pulled as she apologizes to man wrongly convicted of her rape

Channel 5 News

Has men's behaviour towards women changed after Sarah Everard?

https://twitter.com/i/events/1466780954949791745

‘Kidnapped, raped and trafficked’: Women and girls exposed to sexual violence in war-torn Mozambique

Covid is reversing 25 years of progress for the world’s girls

The pandemic is erasing decades of gains in young girls’ education, independence, and health around the world.

Surface Pressure: The psychology of ‘eldest daughter anxiety’

#NotAllMen

#sheonlywentforarun

#Ibelieveher

#HERstory

Didn't trend but I thought I would mention:

From the CDC weekly general e--bulletin that went out on International Day for People with Disabilities. I don't recall seeing them highlight men with disabilities like this:

Women with Disabilities

An estimated 37.5 million women in the U.S. report having a disability. Learn about the challenges women with disabilities experience and how you can help support disability awareness.

BBC’s 100 women

Women-only initiative:

The Irish Times/Sport Ireland Sportswoman of the Year awards

iptba · 05-02-2022 2:47am

Alison O’Connor: Sidelining women in GAA power structure an own goal in misogyny

The GAA, as an association, leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to gender balance, writes Alison O’Connor

https://www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/arid-40800213.html

It starts:

An interesting article posted on the GAA website this week looks at how the association, a bedrock of Irish society with its 700,000 members, is “an entity founded by men and moulded within a patriarchal system”.

Written by the GAA community and health manager, Colin Regan, it surprises on a few levels.

Firstly that it was included in the GAA club newsletter for February, but also singled out on the website as worthy of reading. It is a comfort to think that a man such as he is working from within the GAA for more equality.

We need more like him. As well as his article, this column will look specifically at the gender breakdown of the GAA’s 29 national committees — where the real power lies.

One post from Twitter:

More divisive rubbish

Considering the ladies have their own organisations who have consistently resisted amalgamating, it is actually pretty remarkable that the male side of Gaelic games has a quarter of it's national committees made up of women.

iptba · 09-02-2022 4:49am

A hetero couple posted to r/twoXchromosomes to settle a dispute. One spouse had given their child a bike riding lesson but left the bike in the driveway. The other then backed their car over the bike. Who was at fault—the spouse who left the bike there or the spouse who didn’t check behind them?

The subreddit overwhelming responded: The husband.

A joke, but I think it makes an interesting (if somewhat obvious) point that rigourous genders researchers should try to utilise in research: measuring of people's perceptions of a situation change when everything is the same except for gender.

jimwallace197 · 09-02-2022 1:19pm

Reddit is a cesspit though for man hating discussion. Not only do they have twoXchromosomes but they also have female dating strategy amongst who basically just attack men daily. The fact that these discussions & subreddits havent been banned or even warned says everything you need to know about reddit & their mods.

Boards when it comes to discussion concerning genders & gender roles seems to be a bit more balanced.

iptba · 10-02-2022 2:53am

More men's issues rather than men's rights:

Unemployed men in poor areas most likely to be ‘problem gamblers’, says report

Calls for greater funding for health services to treat gambling addiction

about 13 hours ago

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/unemployed-men-in-poor-areas-most-likely-to-be-problem-gamblers-says-report-1.4797717

Dr Deirdre Mongan, research officer at the HRB and lead author of the report, said men were “five times more likely than women to be at-risk gamblers. In terms of the profile of at-risk or problem gamblers, commonly, it is men aged 25-34 who are living in a deprived area, are unemployed and experience substance use problems such as drug use, an alcohol use disorder or smoking.”

While the overall prevalence of at-risk and problem gambling is relatively low, the data presented indicates “there is a need for treatment provision in Ireland for those with gambling problems,” says the report.

“The Health Service Executive (HSE) addiction services have traditionally focused on problematic drug and alcohol use and do not provide specific gambling services. Although some cases of problematic gambling have received treatment in general mental health services or in alcohol or drug addiction services, the HSE has not been funded to develop a programme or intervention for problematic gambling,” it notes.

iptba · 14-02-2022 2:55am

Again, more men's issues their men rights:

There was a thread on this forum about engagement rings, but it looks like it is old now, so I would get given out to I imagine if I restart it.

So I thought I would post it here:

I thought this jeweller would be trying to subtly, or not so subtly, encourage men to spend a lot on an engagement ring, so it was nice to see him say that he would encourage men not to get into debt buying a ring.

'A woman literally ran out of the shop,' says Dublin jeweller as he gives Valentine's advice for Irish couples choosing engagement rings

https://www.independent.ie/videos/a-woman-literally-ran-out-of-the-shop-says-dublin-jeweller-as-he-gives-valentines-advice-for-irish-couples-choosing-engagement-rings-41338835.html

iptba · 15-02-2022 2:53pm

I find it hard to tell how interesting or otherwise this book might be as the reviewer keeps saying "what about the women", etc. and generally seems a bit biased.

What Do Men Want? Why masculinity is in crisis and how to tackle it

Nina Power’s book on the role of men in the digital age refuses to view the sexes as warring factions

https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/books/book-reviews/what-do-men-want-why-masculinity-is-in-crisis-and-how-to-tackle-it-41333676.html

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"Critics might also argue that such questioning risks casting men as undeserving victims, running the risk of overlooking their enduring political and economic dominance, not to mention the devastation wrought by male violence."

---

"For Power, the self-reliance promoted by controversial figureheads such as Peterson represents something potentially positive.

“The more boys and men understand that they should not rely on women for their care, and that women do not exist to provide men with attention, the more interested (and interesting) we will all be,” she writes."

---

"There are many who will strongly disagree with her stance, not least her decision to focus on men at a moment when concerns about women’s safety and the gendered impact of the pandemic are headline news. "

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iptba · 21-02-2022 1:32am

I very much doubt if the statistics were reversed, the Irish Independent would have heading,

"It’s official: women are quitters – a greater rate of men stay the course with the Defence Forces"

---

It’s official: men are quitters – a greater rate of women stay the course with the Defence Forces

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/its-official-men-are-quitters-a-greater-rate-of-women-stay-the-course-with-the-defence-forces-41364330.html

Around three in 10 male recruits who sign up for the Irish military never make it past the training stage and are discharged.

Figures released by the Defence Forces reveal 30pc of men who enlist either fail to make it past training, or else drop out first.

The rate of discharge among female recruits to the military was lower than for men, at just over 24pc, according to details released under Freedom of Information.

----

The Defence Forces said general service recruitment was a six-stage process beginning with an online application for eligibility and a web-based psychometric test. The next step is a fitness test measuring both strength and aerobic endurance, with slight differences for male and female recruits.

Men are expected to be able to do 20 push-ups and 20 sit-ups in a minute and run one-and-a-half miles within 11 minutes and 40 seconds.

For females, the same criteria apply, with modified push-ups, and the running target time is set at 13 minutes and 10 seconds.

---

Security analyst Declan Power said a certain level of discharges would always be expected.

“Recruit training is always tough, and is a transformative experience for many — male or female. But the figures seem to indicate female candidates are more motivated,” Mr Power said.

“This seems to tell us that while the quantity of females enlisting is not high, the quality certainly is.”

iptba · 21-02-2022 1:39am

https://twitter.com/CChulainn9/status/1495362084279832579?s=20&t=_9FHqU7HrmO86b9rN6j7GA

I'm ex military. I was in it when training was tough, you be called ****, made crawl over nettles in a t shirt.. We had 3 female recruits.. Let's just say they were looked after by the male training NCOs.

[..]

Exactly.. I'm only speaking from experience.. Women got a pass on route marches etc.. Not all women.. They were a few tough ones. Females always got the handy courses & promotions after training while men had to fight harder

https://twitter.com/CChulainn9/status/1495366409014157323?s=20&t=_9FHqU7HrmO86b9rN6j7GA

iptba · 22-02-2022 4:29pm

The Wheel, an umbrella group for charities in Ireland, are again organising an event for International Women's Day. I don't think they've ever organised one for International Men's Day.

https://www.wheel.ie/training/2022/03/international-womens-day-2022

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2022

Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination. A world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge women's equality. Collectively we can all #BreakTheBias.

Celebrate women's achievement. Raise awareness against bias. Take action for equality

More details coming soon!

How to register

This event will be held on Zoom. Please register below. Meeting details will be sent to you after registration.

etc.

iptba · 23-02-2022 2:59am

I don't think there is a recent men's health thread, so I'm posting this here:

Eating disorders in men: ‘I kept telling myself that this doesn’t happen to lads’

Acceptance can prove more challenging for men, particularly when coping with stigma

https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/health-family/eating-disorders-in-men-i-kept-telling-myself-that-this-doesn-t-happen-to-lads-1.4784365

Ellen Jennings, communications officer at Bodywhys – the national voluntary organisation supporting people with eating disorders and their families – says an eating disorder can affect anyone at any stage, but for men there’s a stigma around eating disorders being a female issue, and that results in a double stigma.

“Eating disorders in men are underdiagnosed and undertreated and it can take them longer to recognise there’s a problem. And when there’s a delay, the issue can become more entrenched. More men come forward at a stage where they’re so physically unwell that they might require more intense treatment.

“From March to September 2020, 40 per cent of hospital admissions for eating disorders were male,” Ellen says. “The pandemic, that’s really the epitome of things being out of control – that uncertainty, the loss of routine and the usual coping methods that people had were all taken away by the pandemic and being thrust into that online environment.”

---

A year later, Cormac resumed playing. “That’s when my awareness was first drawn to it. Small comments here and there from people at training and the GAA team – stupid stuff like ‘you’ve put on a bit of timber’ or ‘you need to do a bit of extra running now’, ‘that jersey’s a bit tighter on you there’. Water off a duck’s back for most people but, for whatever reason, whether it was just I was that bit more vulnerable mentally, they just stuck. And I just became really paranoid about my physical appearance, particularly when I was playing.”

---

“I was in complete denial and that denial was purely driven by the fact that I was male. Completely, 100 per cent. I kept telling myself it can’t be an eating disorder, this doesn’t happen to lads, lads don’t get this problem – and that delayed me getting help probably for two or three years.”

iptba · 23-02-2022 3:21am

Question: I just found out through DNA testing that my father isn’t my biological dad, and my real father died many years ago. No one else knows this except my husband and presumably my mother. She most likely had an affair – they were in the same social club.

Only my mother knows the truth, but I don’t want to rip my family apart and wreck my elderly parents’ marriage just to get some answers that I know won’t be enough.

https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/health-family/i-ve-discovered-through-dna-testing-my-father-isn-t-my-biological-dad-1.4801963

This is presumably true something like Ancestry as an ordinary DNA test would just say whether someone's suppose it father was the father or not.

I mentioned before such testing could reveal some paternity fraud

Maybe you have half siblings that don’t know of your existence or your children (if you have any) may be likely to engage with people in their lives who are actually their relatives – this becomes difficult when the next generation starts dating.

This may be an unlikely scenario if you live in a city, but it becomes a genuine possibility if you are living in a smaller community. Inherited medical conditions may also be important to either you or your (future) children and we have not even broached the topics of identity and belonging.

iptba · 23-02-2022 8:51pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118679956#Comment_118679956

Not convinced the prevalence is that high. But certainly the numbers aren’t negligible but it is an issue that has been brushed under the carpet.

iptba · 24-02-2022 10:43pm

The Ukrainian government has also announced compulsory military service for all men of fighting age.

https://www.thedailyherald.sx/international/ukraine-declares-state-of-emergency-announces-compulsory-military-service

iptba · 01-03-2022 2:56am

The Wheel, an umbrella group for charities in Ireland, are again organising an event for International Women's Day. I don't think they've ever organised one for International Men's Day.

https://www.wheel.ie/training/2022/03/international-womens-day-2022

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2022

Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination. A world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge women's equality. Collectively we can all #BreakTheBias.

Celebrate women's achievement. Raise awareness against bias. Take action for equality

More details coming soon!

How to register

This event will be held on Zoom. Please register below. Meeting details will be sent to you after registration.

etc.

---

Got more info today: it seems to assume that there is a bias against women in the nonprofit sector.

Join us on Thursday, 10 March for a conversation about how we can challenge the bias against women in the nonprofit workplace.

This year we will meet three successful female leaders in the sector who have worked to break the bias in both their private and working lives.

Our speakers will share their ideas on how we as organisations can imagine a gender-equal workplace — and world. A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated.

Our Speakers

· Barbara Scully, freelance writer, columnist and broadcaster. Barbara's first book, a non fiction-look at power, wisdom, and the older woman, will be published in late Spring ’22.

· Lianne Quigley, Chairperson of the Irish Deaf Society (IDS). Lianne has worked extensively in the sector for many years and received the ‘Deaf Woman of the Year Award’ to recognize her extensive voluntary work in 2019.

· Susan Hawkins, Leadership and Management Specialist at the Institute of Public Administration. Susan specializes in management, leadership, innovation, and change, and will input on unconscious gender bias in the workplace.

Hear the amazing journey and insight of these incredible women, ask questions, and gain advice on how together we might #BreakTheBias.

Book your place here.

The Wheel

Satellite2022 · 01-03-2022 3:19am

To say women are not equal to men in Ireland is laughable. This is the same country where every single form of genital mutilation including castration is legal on male children (NO form of genital mutilation on boys is illegal in Ireland, boys have zero protection but every single form of genital mutilation is illegal on girls) and the Irish education system uses a calculated grading system to ensure girls do better than boys by giving male students lower scores for being male.

iptba · 06-03-2022 2:49am

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10579735/Women-away-telling-bad-jokes-men-study-finds.html

Women can get away with telling bad jokes more than men because females are seen as more attentive to others, study finds

Study found women are judged less harshly for telling bad jokes than men
Yale School of Management and University of Toronto asked 5,400 people for response on to jokes made by a fictional 'Brad and Brenda'
Found 'Brad' fared worse possibly because 'Brenda' was seen as more attentive
The study was published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology

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While possibly not the most important topic, this empirical methodology can likely reveal more valid results than much speculative research in the gender field.

iptba · 06-03-2022 3:31am

More men's issues than men's rights ...

Just saw this on a joke site:

I matched with a girl on Tinder

She asked, "how tall are you?"

I replied, "5'10, how much do you weigh?"

She got angry and said, "That's body shaming, it's hard to lose weight!"

I laughed and said, "it's harder for me to gain height!"

iptba · 08-03-2022 2:46am

Up to 40% of women consider quitting job in past 12 months - survey

Respondents cite burn out and pressures of family life as reasons

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/economy/up-to-40-of-women-consider-quitting-job-in-past-12-months-survey-1.4819863

It doesn't give the figure for men. I imagine plenty of men would like to quit their job also but get the feeling that it would jeopardise their place in the relationship. Or similarly put them at a big disadvantage when dating.

------

Separately Lidl announced it has become the first retailer in Ireland to report on the gender pay gap announcing a 6.2 per cent mean gender pay gap for 2021, down from 8.8 per cent in 2020 and lower than the 11.3 per cent average pay gap in the State. The figure also compares favourably with European level where it is 14.1 per cent, and with the UK retail sector which has a mean gender pay gap of just under 12 per cent.

“While Lidl Ireland is pleased with its progress to date, it is taking further steps to eliminate the mean gender pay gap across its 5,000 plus workforce in the Republic of Ireland,” it said.

I wonder how this been achieved by some discrimination against men and similar there will be any discrimination against men in the future to eliminate the gap.

iptba · 10-03-2022 1:41pm

More men’s issues than men’s rights:

Bigorexia: Obsession with muscle gain increasing among boys

‘Your only new friends are the weights,’ says 16-year-old TikTok star Bobby

https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/health-family/fitness/bigorexia-obsession-with-muscle-gain-increasing-among-boys-1.4820697

iptba · 11-03-2022 3:04am

(Pay-walled)

We demand equality but a lot of women still expect men to pay for dinner

Tanya Sweeney

https://www.independent.ie/opinion/comment/we-demand-equality-but-a-lot-of-women-still-expect-men-to-pay-for-dinner-41429573.html

I know a great many women who pay their own taxes, run their own houses, secured their own mortgages and, in some cases, manage a sizeable team at work. They’ve Repealed the 8th, closed the gender pay gap and voted for marriage equality.

Yet mention dating to them and it’s almost as if the last 50 years of feminism have never happened.

“I’m sorry, I just like to be looked after once in a while,” says one, defending her iron-clad rule about men paying on dates.

“I just want to feel a bit small and dainty, you know?” says another, referring to her preference for a taller man.

The piece meanders after this

iptba · 12-03-2022 3:20am

A blob of gel on the shoulder every morning: new gel may give men control over their fertility

A hormone-based gel designed to reduce sperm production is at the trial stage. Dan and Emily trialled the gel for 18 months, here's how they got on.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/healthandwellbeing/arid-40821165.html

She points out that while women have historically shouldered the contraceptive burden, men have had to trust women around this. “With this method, men can share responsibility for contraception and women have to trust. A male contraceptive gives men a lot of control over their fertility that they didn’t have previously.”

iptba · 12-03-2022 4:22am

Men aged 18-60 can't leave Ukraine due to conscription yet ...

The Ukraine war — like all conflicts — will hit women and girls the hardest, UN warns

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/11/un-women-says-russia-ukraine-war-exacts-high-price-from-women-girls.html

Sn@kebite · 15-03-2022 5:36pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118771770#Comment_118771770

The UN is a disgrace anyway and a money sponge. Look at what it did for women in Afghanistan as the Taliban took over and banned women from working. It wrote a letter to the Taliban...so it did nothing!

iptba · 16-03-2022 2:49am

https://www.independent.ie/business/jobs/ireland-backs-eu-target-for-33pc-women-on-boards-41445308.html

Ireland backs EU target for 33pc women on boards

Ireland is backing an EU move to make listed company boards at least 33pc female by 2027.

Draft rules are close to being finalised after Germany reversed its long-held opposition to the plan and paved the way for talks with MEPs.

Monday’s agreement saw close to 20 EU countries support the move, unblocking a 10-year-old stalemate.