On ‘Adolescence’, and Every Man’s Role in Ending Violence Against Women - Jackson Katz

Discussions about masculinity and violence against women have exploded into the spotlight, not least because of the widely-watched Netflix drama ‘Adolescence’. More and more men are asking: Why is ending this violence an issue for me? What can I do to be part of the solution? How can I overcome the barriers holding me back from taking action, such as feelings of defensiveness? These are some of the pressing questions leading anti-violence educator and scholar-activist Dr Jackson Katz addresses in his timely new book, 'Every Man: Why Violence Against Women is a Men’s Issue, and How You Can Make a Difference'.

In this episode, Jackson sets out the case for men’s involvement, and essential tools to help us contribute to preventing violence against women: from how to respond when a friend or colleague expresses misogynistic views, to changing the culture among our peers, to developing positive leadership among men on this issue. 

We also discuss ‘Adolescence’ and its impact on, and implications for, parents, teachers, police officers and other key figures and institutions in young men’s (and women’s) lives. 

We conclude by revisiting the political situation in the US, and how men are responding to the backward-looking narratives coming from figures like President Trump and Vice-President JD Vance about what ‘real men’ should be like. 

Jackson is an American educator, speaker and writer internationally renowned for his groundbreaking work on issues of gender, race, and violence. His TEDx Talk 'Violence against women - it's a men's issue' has been watched 5.5 million+ times. He co-founded the pioneering gender violence prevention programme, Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP), which was the first large-scale prevention initiative in sports culture and all branches of the US military, and has been rolled out in schools across the US and parts of the UK. 

Jackson’s book ‘Every Man’ is now available in the UK through Penguin, and will be published in the US by Bloomsbury in Sept 2025: https://www.penguin.com.au/books/every-man-9780241672662

• Find out more about Jackson’s work: https://www.jacksonkatz.com
• His writing for Ms Magazine: https://msmagazine.com/author/jkatz/
• Follow him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackson-katz-ph-d-b7785b3/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacksontkatz
• Watch his TEDx Talk, ‘Violence against women – It’s a men's issue’: https://youtu.be/KTvSfeCRxe8

Episode timeline:

• Introduction
• Jackson’s views on ‘Adolescence’ and its impact (02:26-06:53)
• Showing the series in schools (06:53-10:11)
• Why Jackson wrote ‘Every Man’, and the difficulties of getting a book on this topic published (10:11-14:52)
• Why men might respond defensively, and how to move past that (14:52-20:52)
• The positive impacts of feminism on Jackson’s own life (20:52-27:29)
• Break
• The bystander approach and what it looks in practice (27:36-35:26)
• Its use in settings such as the military, and a different kind of leadership (35:26-43:52)
• Masculinity in the Trump 2.0 presidency, and signs of resistance (43:52-53:47)
• Why men need to face our fears of being ‘unmanned’ (53:47-56:54)
• Conclusion [The lessons of ‘Adolescence’; The responsibility we all have; Addressing it in schools] (57:02-01:06:30)

More info:

• Gareth Southgate’s Dimblebly Lecture: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/mar/19/gareth-southgate-rails-against-callous-toxic-influencers-in-dimbleby-lecture
• Michael Kaufman – The triad of men’s violence: https://michaelkaufman.com/articles-2/
• Terry Real – ‘I don’t want to talk about it’: https://terryreal.com/books/
• Sandy Ruxton – ‘Masculinity, intimacy, and mourning: A father’s memoir of his son killed in action in world War II’: https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy4020059
• Mentors in Violence Prevention: https://mvpstrat.com
• Jackson Katz – ‘Bystander Training as Leadership Training’: https://doi.org/10.1177/1077801217753322
• Young Men’s Research Initiative: https://youngmenresearchinitiative.substack.com