Now and Men

Why do most men in politics avoid describing themselves and their politics as ‘feminist’? If they do support gender equality, why do they prefer instead to be called allies, advocates or supporters? What does this mean in practice for what men politicians do to promote women’s rights, and address harmful masculine norms? How are they seen by feminist activists, women politicians and young peo...

Dr Ken Harland has been involved in youth work practice and research with boys and young men in Northern Ireland for the past 35 years. During that time, he has witnessed a transition from a culture in which violence and conflict was normalised, to one of peace-building and hope. But how were ‘The Troubles’ shaped by gender inequality? What impact did and does the conflict have on young men g...

The heavy toll of gun violence in the United States is having traumatising impacts on innumerable Black men and boys, many of whom will know one or more family members or friends who have died as a result. Yet there is widespread reluctance to consider the idea of vulnerability and victimisation among these young survivors.  In this episode, we hear from Dr Jocelyn Smith Lee , who has herself...

What is 'discomfort', and how can we engage effectively with men when they display it in conversations about masculinity, gender equality and violence? How can connecting with discomfort help to change harmful attitudes and behaviours? What are the risks and challenges in embracing discomfort, and how can they be dealt with? These issues are at the core of our discussion with Dr Nate Eisenstadt, d...

Now and Men is taking a break until February 2024, so in the meantime, to coincide with Veganuary and a new campaign called 'Vegan and Thriving' from the UK Vegan Society, we revisit episode 29 from June 2023, where we discussed masculinity and veganism with Dr Kadri Aavik. Between 2016 and 2020, the number of vegans in Europe has doubled from 1.3 million to 2.6 million. More and more people are q...

Blake Morrison’s award-winning, bestselling memoir ‘And When Did You Last See Your Father?’ is an honest and intimate portrait of family life, father-son relations, and the impact of bereavement. Since it came out in 1993, Blake has continued to revisit his family’s past through ‘Things My Mother Never Told Me’ (2002), and is ‘still working things out’ in his poignant recent book ‘Two Sisters’ , a...

How can men contribute to gender equality and justice in the world? What can they learn from feminist approaches? How can they break free from the limiting expectations of what a 'real' man should be, and become more fully human? In this episode, we talk to Jens van Tricht, the author of an inspiring book 'Why Feminism is Good for Men', now translated from the original Dutch into English...

Richard Bliss is an artist and tailor based in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the North-East of England. He currently has an exhibition of work on display at Bishop Auckland Town Hall in County Durham called ‘The Quest for the Perfect Shirt’ . We recorded this episode in person with Richard in one of the galleries, and thank the curator, Debbie Connell, for making this possible. In our discussion Richard...

What is 'patriarchy' and where do its origins lie? How did it become embedded in societies from prehistory to the present? What part do we all play in maintaining patriarchal structures, and can they be dismantled? These are some of the pressing questions we discuss in this episode with  Angela Saini , author of a fascinating new book  'The Patriarchs: How Men Came to Rule' (Harper...

The Spanish women’s football team have shaken the world – first with their incredible World Cup success, then by bringing into question the sexist culture of soccer, stating #SeAcabó ('It's Over') and striking en masse in protest about their treatment by the football authorities. This was after the President of the Spanish Football Federation, Luis Rubiales , was accused of kissing the striker Jen...

‘The Manosphere’ is a cluster of online groups who oppose feminism and believe that men are the true victims of gender inequality. There has long been backlash towards feminism, but its influence has grown in recent years, facilitated by the internet. Such groups include Men’s Rights and Father’s Rights Activists, Pick Up Artists (who instruct men on how to manipulate women for sex), and Men Going...

Work with men and boys has been growing rapidly in the last 30 years, especially around the issues of preventing violence and abuse, building gender equality, promoting fatherhood, and health and wellbeing. To what extent is this a positive development? What are some of the opportunities, challenges and problems that engaging men and boys brings? And how can this work be delivered most effectively...

How do different groups of men navigate urban life and enact masculinity in the bustling metropolises of contempory Indian society? In this special 30th episode, marking two years of Now and Men, we speak to Prof Sanjay Srivastava and Dr Romit Chowdhury about the ways in which male power and privilege is both threatened and re-asserted in different city spaces in India and beyond, considering...

Between 2016 and 2020, the number of vegans in Europe has doubled from 1.3 million to 2.6 million. More and more people are questioning the consumption of meat and dairy for ethical, environmental and health reasons. The majority of these people are women, but there are a significant number of men who are vegans, too – and over 30% of Europeans say they are consciously eating less meat. In this ep...

Suicide is a major health and wellbeing issue among men, with the UK suicide rate three times higher for men than women. There are clear links to issues of masculinity here, such as pressures on men to never show ‘weakness’ or emotion, or the idea that it is ‘unmanly’ to struggle with one’s mental health or experience failure. However, the situation is complex. Some groups of men are much more lik...

Jackson Katz has long been a major figure in the growing global movement of men working to promote gender equality and prevent gender-based violence. He has also written and broadcast extensively about the central role of masculinity and gender in shaping political debates in the United States. With politics ever more polarised, authoritarianism and political violence – especially towards women –...

Responding to serious public concern following the kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard by a serving officer, together with multiple other deeply disturbing incidents, Baroness Casey’s recent independent review of London’s Metropolitan Police has highlighted institutional misogyny, racism and homophobia in the force. The review found serious failings in the Met’s leadership, recruitment, vetti...

Some people migrate in search of work or economic opportunities, to join family, or to study. Others to escape war, conflict, persecution, or human rights abuses. Increasingly, people move in response to climate crises and natural disasters. Despite these realities, migration and migrants are often portrayed negatively by the media and politicians, with policy and legislation made more and more re...

War and militarism often play a central role in the construction of dominant, ‘desirable’ ideas about masculinity. So what happens when men refuse to take part in the militarisation of society, and become conscientious objectors? Dr Demet Aslı Çaltekin has researched this with people who have conscientiously objected against compulsory military service in Turkey.  We were planning to intervie...

What can a historical and global perspective teach us about feminism and gender relations? How have men engaged with women's movements over the course of their history in the UK and beyond? And how have anti-sexist men dealt with the challenging questions feminists raise about our emotional and sexual lives within patriarchy? These are some of the questions Professor Lucy Delap has explored in her...

For over 10 years, Beyond Equality have been engaging with young men in the UK to give them a chance to reflect on who they want to be, and how they can help create safer and more inclusive communities. This was originally through two different organisations: the Good Lad Initiative in universities and Great Men in schools. Since then they have become Beyond Equality, and now work with men and boy...

Gary Barker has been a trailblazer in the field of men and masculinities for over thirty years. He is the co-founder and CEO of Equimundo (formerly known as Promundo-US and Instituto Promundo), which does a wide range of innovative work and research with men and boys for gender justice across the globe. We explore his own personal story of how he came to be involved in efforts against violence and...

In this special 20th episode, Sandy and Stephen reflect on the year since we started Now and Men, and our experience of running the podcast so far. The episode was recorded live at a workshop at a conference called 'Boys at the Crossroads – Insights and Innovations in Young Masculinities', organised by Bristol Young Men’s Network in the UK on 14th October 2022. We discuss why we set the podca...

What impact does domestic abuse have on boys when growing up? Why is it that so many young men who are ‘on-road’ or involved in gangs have experienced domestic abuse in the home as children? If the boundaries between being a ‘perpetrator’ and a ‘victim’ of violence are not always as clear cut as we might think, what implications does this have for trying to prevent violence from happening in the f...

How can we engage with men in the workplace about gender equality and masculinity? Sebastián Molano deals with this question on a day-to-day basis at Oxfam America, where he has facilitated a regular ‘men-identified’ group for the last 4.5 years, discussing men’s role in relation to gender justice issues such as privilege, accountability, and decolonisation. The group was established in part in re...