On the Cult of Masculinity, and why it's important to challenge it

[YoungDemCA]

Here's a post of mine, almost verbatim, from Facebook. I was responding to someone regarding the question of why there are higher suicide rates in men than women (indirectly, though-someone else had speculated about the pressures of "masculinity" in many societies).

IMHO: Men face a lot of social pressures to act "tough", to be independent, and to not be emotionally empathetic, but it's different from the pressures women face because unlike with women, the pressures that men face come largely from other men-and/or from their own expectations. The Cult of Masculinity does not just have negative consequences for women, it also acts as a way of boxing in men to certain roles and expectations in society. Not complaining though, because I do realize and agree that there are a lot of things about being a man that make life easier overall.

I know that there's a connection between male expectations-of themselves and each other-and the oppression of women. I think many of us realize this too, but I would like to see more people-especially more men-make the connection.

Feel free to discuss as much or as little as you wish, of course!