Now and Men

At Christmas time, many of us are buying toys for the children in our lives. But do toys, and the way they are promoted, play a significant role in reinforcing gender stereotypes from a young age? What impact does it have on boys that they are frequently encouraged to play with vehicles, construction toys, weapons – but rarely dolls, domestic toys, fashion or crafts? In this Christmas Special episode of Now and Men, we explore these issues with Olivia Dickinson from the UK campaign Let Toys Be Toys. We discuss new research Let Toys Be Toys have just published, showing that whilst progress is being made, gender stereotypes remain widespread in TV toy advertising, with adverts featuring girls often focusing on themes of fashion, beauty, ‘be nice’ and consumerism, and adverts featuring boys often focusing on action and conflict. Read more about the research here: https://lettoysbetoys.org.uk/tvads2021/. Let Toys Be Toys have 'Just 4 Asks' for manufacturers, retailers and now advertisers: https://www.lettoysbetoys.org.uk/just4asks/. They have also created some videos for advertisers: https://www.lettoysbetoys.org.uk/toyads-just4asks/Olivia has 20 years’ experiences of working in children’s media across Amazon, the BBC, Nickelodeon and Sky Kids. She provides training for school staff and trainee teachers, as well as consulting for children's TV and digital companies on equality issues, and is a member of the executive group responsible for diversity and inclusion at The Children’s Media Foundation. You can find out more and get involved in Let Toys Be Toys at https://lettoysbetoys.org.uk. Follow Olivia on Twitter at https://twitter.com/OlivaceousD, and on LinkedIn at https://linkedin.com/in/oliviadickinson/. She has also been involved in the charity Lifting Limits, who you can find out more about at: https://liftinglimits.org.uk. Read their pilot evaluation here: https://liftinglimits.org.uk/pilot-evaluation/In the episode we cover the following topics:How gender stereotypes are reinforced through toys and other parts of children’s lives (e.g. media, advertising, publishing, clothes) and why this is harmfulWhat impact this has on boys and on constructions of masculinityWays in which children resist these influencesHow gender stereotypes in childhood have changed (and in some cases become more significant) over timeAchievements of the Let Toys Be Toys campaignThe role that toy companies are playing and how they could do betterHow gendered marketing contributes to more consumption and more environmental damageThe work of Lifting Limits and how schools and educators can help challenge gender stereotypesHow Olivia got involved in campaigning on these issues and how she keeps motivatedAdvice she would give to parents and other adults about how to help children not be held back by gender stereotypesThe following resources were also discussed during the episode…Let Toys Be Toys article on 10 ways to challenge gender stereotypes in the classroom: https://www.lettoysbetoys.org.uk/resources/ten-ways-to-challenge-gender-stereotypes-in-the-classroom/Let Toys Be Toys article about the relationship between toys, gender stereotypes, and environmental sustainability: https://www.lettoysbetoys.org.uk/toysandourplanet/Let Clothes Be Clothes campaign: https://letclothesbeclothes.co.ukNew guide just released by LIONS and The Fawcett Society about smashing gender stereotypes in children’s advertising: https://www.fawcettsociety.org.uk/news/the-fawcett-society-and-lions-release-new-guide-aimed-at-smashing-gender-stereotypes-in-childrens-advertisingThe Fawcett Society Commission on Gender Stereotypes in Early Childhood: https://www.fawcettsociety.org.uk/smashstereotypesAdvice from the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) following their ban on gender stereotyping in advertising: https://www.asa.org.uk/advice-online/harm-and-offence-gender-stereotypes.htmlNational Education Union ‘Breaking the Mould’ research: https://neu.org.uk/breaking-mouldNo More Boys and Girls BBC Documentary: https://youtu.be/wN5R2LWhTrYGender Action resource library: https://genderaction.co.uk/online-resourcesInstitute of Physics School resources to address gender imbalance: https://iop.org/school-resources-address-gender-imbalanceDr Elizabeth Sweet's research on gender and children's toys: https://elizabethvsweet.com/researchHave a lovely festive season everyone!

What do men, gender inequality and the climate crisis have to do with each other? What role might masculinities be playing in contributing to environmental destruction? In the wake of COP26, hear Professor Bob Pease discuss why men need to recreate our relationships with nature in order to tackle global heating in this episode of Now and Men. Bob is an Adjunct Professor in the Institute for Social Change at the University of Tasmania in Australia, and an Honorary Professor in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Deakin University. He is a pro-feminist academic and activist with a background in critical social work, who has been involved in research and campaigning around ending men's violence against women for several decades, and has recently been exploring the gendered dynamics of natural disasters and climate change.The episode covers the following topics…Bob’s reflections on the COP26 UN Climate Conference in Glasgow.Why studying men and masculinities can help us to understand the climate and ecological crises, and how a pro-feminist lens offers solutions for tackling them.How masculinities can affect and hinder men’s emotional responses to natural disasters, such as the bushfires in Australia.Bob’s reflections on his participation in anti-sexist activism and research since the 1970’s, and how he came to be involved in the first place.His advice for men interested in getting involved in pro-feminist, anti-violence work today.Why men should want to work to undo male privilege.What Bob does to maintain a sense of hope in the work he does.You can find out more about Bob’s work here: https://rmdb.research.utas.edu.au/public/rmdb/q/indiv_detail_warp_trans/19205. He has written and edited more than 15 books during his career, the most recent of which include:‘Undoing Privilege: Unearned Advantage and Systemic Injustice in an Unequal World’ – the second edition of which will be published on 16th December 2021 by Bloomsbury: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/undoing-privilege-9781913441135/‘Post-Anthropocentric Social Work: Critical Posthuman and New Materialist Perspectives’ (Routledge, 2021, co-edited with Prof Vivienne Bozalek): https://www.routledge.com/Post-Anthropocentric-Social-Work-Critical-Posthuman-and-New-Materialist/Bozalek-Pease/p/book/9780367349653‘Facing Patriarchy: From a Violent Gender Order to a Culture of Peace’ (Zed Books, 2019): https://www.bloomsburycollections.com/book/facing-patriarchy-from-a-violent-gender-order-to-a-culture-of-peace/‘Men, Masculinities and Disaster’ (Routledge, 2016, co-edited with Dr Elaine Enarson):https://www.routledge.com/Men-Masculinities-and-Disaster/Enarson-Pease/p/book/9781138324602You can read his article, ‘Recreating Men’s Relationship with Nature: Toward a Profeminist Environmentalism’, in the journal Men and Masculinities here: https://doi.org/10.1177/1097184X18805566

How and why has men’s health been so badly impacted by Covid-19? What do masculinities and feminism have to do with men’s health? What are some of the key issues affecting the wellbeing of men and boys in the UK today, and what can we do about it? Find out more in the latest episode of Now and Men, with international men’s health expert Peter Baker. Peter is the Director of the Global Action on Men’s Health network, and for 12 years was the Chief Executive of the Men’s Health Forum in the UK. Until 2020 he was also the Campaign Director for HPV Action, and in 2018 received the Royal Society for Public Health’s award for Outstanding Contribution to Championing the Public’s Health because of his efforts in getting boys vaccinated against HPV (human papillomavirus).Topics covered in this episode include…Why Covid-19 demonstrates the need to engage much more with men and boys about their physical and mental health (for example, regarding vaccinations).Why the male suicide rate does not appear to have increased so far during the pandemic.How Peter got involved in working on men’s health, and the impact of his own experiences of growing up as a boy.Peter’s involvement in anti-sexist activism such as the magazine Achilles Heel, and why feminism has made a vital contribution to men’s health.The effects of pornography on men and boys, and Peter’s involvement in anti-pornography campaigning.The impacts of masculine gender norms and expectations on men’s and boys’ health.The increasing struggles some men and boys are facing around body image.Peter’s campaigning for boys to get vaccinated against the human papillomavirus (HPV).What works, what some of the tensions are, and what policies are needed to improve the health of men and boys. You can find out more about Peter and his work at his website, https://pbmenshealth.co.uk. You can also follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pbmenshealth, and on LinkedIn: http://uk.linkedin.com/in/pbmenshealth/.Other organisations and resources mentioned in the episode…Global Action on Men’s Health: https://gamh.orgUK Men’s Health Forum: https://www.menshealthforum.org.ukHPV Action: http://www.hpvaction.orgBritish Medical Journal (BMJ) piece, ‘Our response to Covid-19 must not be gender blind nor a gender battle’: https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2021/07/02/our-response-to-covid-19-must-not-be-gender-blind-nor-a-gender-battle/UK Men’s Sheds Association: https://menssheds.org.uk

What does a men’s march against violence against women look like? What kind of actions are organisations across Europe taking to engage men and boys in building gender equality? We find out in this special episode of Now and Men, recorded in Seville at a demonstration against gender-based violence, which takes place every year on 21st October in cities across Spain. To coincide with this, a MenEngage Europe members’ meeting was also happening in Seville, so we spoke to participants from several different European countries about their experience of the demonstration, the work they do, and why it’s so important for men to transform harmful ideas of masculinity and take action against patriarchal violence.We talk to:Miguel Lázaro - Vice-President of Masculinidades Beta in Spain - https://masculinidadesbeta.org, and member of MenEngage Iberia - https://twitter.com/menengageiberiaAnna Lindqvist - Director of MÄN in Sweden - https://mfj.se/en Colm Kelly Ryan - Head of Programmes at the Men's Development Network in Ireland - https://mensnetwork.ie (Colm has written a report of the demonstration and MenEngage meeting here: https://mensnetwork.ie/menengage/)Joni van de Sand – Global Co-Director of the MenEngage Alliance - http://menengage.orgThe demonstration was covered (in Spanish) by RTVE, the Spanish public broadcasting service, here: https://www.rtve.es/play/videos/telediario-2/manifestacion-sevilla-bajo-lema-hombres-igualdad/6148239/.You can join the MenEngage Europe Facebook Page at: https://www.facebook.com/MenEngageEuropeSandy, Stephen and other colleagues have co-authored a book, ‘Men’s Activism to End Violence Against Women: Voices from Spain, Sweden and the UK’ (Policy Press, 2021), which is available to buy or to read for free as an e-book here: https://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/mens-activism-to-end-violence-against-womenPlease note that because the podcast was recorded whilst we were at the demonstration, the sound quality is not always perfect, for which we apologise!Thank you to Shkodran Latifi (from SIT, Kosovo - https://sit-ks.org) for the photo.If you have been affected by sexual violence, information and support is available from Rape Crisis: https://rapecrisis.org.uk/get-help/. Rape Crisis European Network: https://www.rcne.com/contact/countries/Contact the UK National Domestic Abuse Helpline: https://www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk/

What role can men play in ending violence against women and girls? Sarah Everard, Sabina Nessa, Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry – and many other women – were all murdered by men in the UK in 2020-21. This led to an outpouring of anger about the extent of men’s violence, the pervasiveness of sexism and misogyny that underpins it, and the failure of key institutions to respond effectively. In this episode we talk to Dr Fiona Vera-Gray, formerly an Assistant Professor at Durham University and now the Deputy Director of the Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit at London Metropolitan University. She is an expert on sexual violence, street harassment and pornography, and we ask about her research, what it means for men, and what needs to change.You can find out more about Fiona’s work here: https://www.londonmet.ac.uk/profiles/staff/fiona-vera-gray/Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/VeraGrayFInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/fveragray/The episode covers the following topics:The potential impacts of recent heightened awareness and public debate about men’s violence against women in the UK (02:48 - 04:45)The response of the police, criminal justice system, and UK government to calls for a sea change in efforts to tackle men’s violence against women and girls (04:45 - 08:54)What men need to do to become part of the solution (08:54 - 14:50)Problems that can arise when men do get involved in work to end violence against women (14:50 - 18:13)Fiona’s research on the impacts of men’s intrusions in public spaces, and how this constrains women's freedom (18:13 -26:52)Her research on the content of mainstream online pornography (26:52 - 33:19)The influences that pornography is having on society, including on ideas of masculinity and male sexuality, and what we can do about it (33:19 - 32:12)Preventing violence against women from happening in the first place (42:12 - 43:56)The impact that feminism and the movement to end violence against women and girls has had on Fiona (43:56 - 47:57)Resources:If you have been affected by sexual violence, information and support is available from Rape Crisis: https://rapecrisis.org.uk/get-help/Fiona has recently written an article for the Guardian, ‘If we’re serious about ending violence against women, we need to talk about culture’: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/oct/04/violence-against-women-culture-true-crime-pornography-onscreenYou can buy her 2018 book, ‘The Right Amount of Panic: How women trade freedom for safety in public’ (Policy Press), here: https://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/the-right-amount-of-panicAnd her 2016 book, ‘Men's Intrusion, Women's Embodiment: A critical analysis of street harassment’, here: https://www.routledge.com/Mens-Intrusion-Womens-Embodiment-A-critical-analysis-of-street-harassment/Vera-Gray/p/book/9781138360327You can read her latest journal article, ‘Sexual violence as a sexual script in mainstream online pornography’ (2021), in the British Journal of Criminology here: https://academic.oup.com/bjc/article/61/5/1243/6208896She has a new book coming out soon called 'Women on Porn': https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/454201/women-on-porn-by-vera-gray-dr-fiona/9781911709435An article on what men can do to help end violence against women by Stephen, Sandy and Nicole Westmarland, ‘How men can be allies to women right now’, was published in March 2021: https://theconversation.com/how-men-can-be-allies-to-women-right-now-157126Explainers:Dominic Raab (UK Justice Secretary) was widely criticised when he commented on the BBC Breakfast Programme (October 6th, 2021): ‘Misogyny is absolutely wrong, whether it’s a man against a woman, or a woman against a man’: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/oct/06/dominic-raab-confuses-meaning-of-misogyny-in-bbc-interview Professor Liz Kelly, who devised the concept of women’s ‘safety work’, is a Professor of Sexualised Violence and Director of the Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit (CWASU) at London Metropolitan University: https://www.londonmet.ac.uk/profiles/staff/liz-kelly/Dr Evan Stark is the author of the book ‘Coercive Control: The Entrapment of Women in Personal Life’ (2007): https://evanstark.weebly.com

What’s life like for young Black men in London today – and how has it changed since the 1980s? What can be done to support them, and to open up new ways of being a man? Find out more in this conversation with Owen Thomas, Head of Programmes with Fathers at the charity Future Men, where he has worked for over 15 years. Some of the issues we cover in this episode of Now and Men include:Why Owen was invited to the G7 to talk to the Duchess of Cambridge and Jill Biden about Future Men’s work with fathers.Owen’s experiences of growing up and learning about what it means to be a man in Brixton in the 1980s and 1990s.The struggles and new opportunities around being a father during the pandemic.The work that Future Men do and how they seek to foster new, healthier models of masculinity.The Black Lives Matter movement, and the impacts of racism on Future Men staff and the men and boys they work with.The challenges that young men in London are facing now and in the future, from extreme wealth inequalities, to gentrification, to gang violence - and how young people are creating social change in the face of this.We apologise for the background noise during the first part of the episode – Future Men’s office is near a school and the children were obviously having their break at the same time we were recording!Find out more about the work of Future Men at http://futuremen.org. You can follow them on Twitter at https://twitter.com/FutureMenUK, Facebook at https://facebook.com/FutureMenCharity/, and LinkedIn at https://linkedin.com/company/future-men-charity.Future Men chair the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Fatherhood, which you can read more about at: https://futuremen.org/appg-on-fatherhood/Early on in the episode Owen mentions the uprisings against racism in 1981, 1985 and 1995. These are sometimes described as the Brixton riots, and you can read more about them here: https://theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/11/brixton-riots-40-years-on-a-watershed-moment-for-race-relations and here: https://runnymedetrust.org/histories/index.html  Towards the end of the episode Owen refers to the killing of the former footballer Dalian Atkinson by a police officer, which you can learn more about here: https://theconversation.com/dalian-atkinson-manslaughter-conviction-for-pc-but-justice-for-police-violence-remains-elusive-163457Early on in the episode the following acronyms are used: ILEA (Inner London Education Authority) and GLC (Greater London Council).If you have any questions or comments about this or future episodes of Now and Men, you can contact us at nowandmen@gmail.com.

How do the Covid-19 pandemic, deindustrialisation in South Wales, and Bruce Springsteen all link back to masculinity? Find out in episode 3 of Now and Men, where we speak to Dr Mike Ward, a Senior Lecturer in Social Sciences at Swansea University. Mike’s research focuses on the performance of working-class masculinities within and beyond educational institutions. He is the author of the award-winning book ‘From Labouring to Learning, Working-Class Masculinities, Education and De-industrialization’, published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2015. He is also the editor of Boyhood Studies, an interdisciplinary academic journal.Some of the issues we cover in the episode include…Mike’s CoronaDiaries project, which has sought to understand the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on people’s everyday lives.How Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford’s response to the pandemic has differed from that of other male leaders.Mike’s own experience of growing up in the South Wales Valleys, and how studying sociology helped him understand his background.The ethnographic research Mike has conducted with working-class young men in South Wales, which shone a light on the impact of deindustrialisation and different forms of loss at individual and community levels, and the ethical challenges which arose from his study.The influence of locality on the construction of masculinity, and the variety of forms that young working-class masculinities can take.Contemporary discussions about a ‘crisis of masculinity’.Being a Bruce Springsteen fan - and what his music tells us about being a man.Read more about and access Mike’s work on his Swansea University page: https://www.swansea.ac.uk/staff/human-and-health-sciences/public-health-policy-and-social-sciences/ward-m/. You can follow him on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/mrmwardphd.You can buy Mike’s book ‘From Labouring to Learning: Working-Class Masculinities, Education and De-industrialization’ from Palgrave Macmillan: https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9781349561322Find out more about the CoronaDiaries project, and read diary entries, at https://collections.swansea.ac.uk/s/coronadiaries/page/home. It was covered by a variety of media sources, such as the BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-wales-52273526. Mike also wrote a piece about it for The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/lockdown-diaries-the-everyday-voices-of-the-coronavirus-pandemic-138631The journal Boyhood Studies can be accessed at: http://boyhood-studies.berghahnjournals.com. Two special issues have recently been published on ‘The Men and the Boys, Twenty Years on: Revisiting Raewyn Connell's pivotal text’.Read more about the ‘Beyond Male Role Models’ project which Mike, Sandy and others worked on: https://wels.open.ac.uk/research/beyond-male-role-models. A short article by Mike about the project is here: https://theconversation.com/you-dont-have-to-be-male-to-be-a-role-model-for-men-71296The journal article by Jonathan Scourfield and Mark Drakeford which Mike refers to, 'Boys from Nowhere: Finding Welsh men and putting them in their place', can be found here: https://journals.library.wales/view/1179046/1181678/12This episode was hosted and produced by Stephen Burrell and Sandy Ruxton. Thank you very much to Professor Nicole Westmarland, Durham University, and Vic Turnbull (MIC Media) for all of their support in setting up Now and Men.

What do men and feminism have to do with each other? How can men contribute to gender equality and engage more in care work? Hear Nikki van der Gaag discuss these questions and much more on episode 2 of Now and Men. Nikki is a feminist writer and researcher specialising in gender and development. She has a particular interest in men and masculinities, and has written a book called ‘Feminism and Men’ in 2014, as well as the ‘No-nonsense’ Guide to Feminism in 2017. She is an independent consultant and a Senior Fellow at Promundo, as well as being on the Steering Committee for MenEngage Europe. Until 2019 she was the Director of Gender Justice and Women's Rights at Oxfam GB.Some of the issues we cover in our conversation include: Why, as a feminist, Nikki works on masculinities and fatherhood.How her own experiences of being a parent and growing up as a girl have shaped her involvement in feminist activism.Different ways in which men have responded to feminism across society.Men’s role in building gender equality, and everyday things men can do as allies.What needs to change in society to get more men involved in caregiving.The impact of Covid-19 on caregiving and on gender equality.Why there is cause for optimism within emerging social movements. You can follow Nikki on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/NikkivanderGaag or on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikki-van-der-gaag-455a883/In the episode, we mention the following pieces of work:Nikki’s book, ‘Feminism and Men’ (2014), published by Zed Books: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/feminism-and-men-9781780329116Her ‘No Nonsense’ Guide to Feminism, published in 2016 by Verso/New Internationalist: https://newint.org/books/new-internationalist/nononsense-feminismPromundo’s State of the World’s Fathers reports: http://stateoftheworldsfathers.orgPlan International’s State of the World’s Girls reports: https://plan-uk.org/about-because-i-am-a-girl/because-i-am-a-girl-past-reportsFind out more about the organisations Nikki has been involved in: https://promundoglobal.org, http://menengage.org, https://oxfam.org.uk, https://younglives.org.uk And other organisations that she mentions: https://wbg.org.uk/commission/, https://fawcettsociety.org.uk, https://awid.org, https://youngfeministfund.orgIf you would like to give us your feedback, suggest a guest, or have a question you'd like us to discuss in a future episode, get in touch with us at nowandmen@gmail.com.This episode was hosted and produced by Stephen Burrell and Sandy Ruxton. Thank you very much to Professor Nicole Westmarland, Durham University, and Vic Turnbull (MIC Media) for all of their support in setting up Now and Men.

The Voice, Harry Potter, and fatherhood: what's the connection? Hear Dr Martin Robb talk about this and much more on episode 1 of Now and Men. Martin is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Health, Wellbeing and Social Care at the Open University. His work is based around issues of gender, identity and care, with a particular focus on fatherhood and the development of caring masculinities.Some of the issues we cover in our conversation include: How fatherhood and men’s care are portrayed in popular culture.The strengths and weaknesses of different political positions on fatherhood and men caring for children.How to understand and promote men’s involvement as fathers and caregivers.Debates about the meaning and relevance of ‘male role models’ to men and boys.Historical perspectives and how thinking about fatherhood has changed over time.How Martin’s own experiences of growing up as a boy and becoming a father have impacted on his work.Martin has a blog at: https://martinrobb.wordpress.com, and you can follow him on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/MartinRobbOUIn the episode, we mention the following pieces of work:Martin is the author of a book which was published by Routledge in 2020, entitled ‘Men, Masculinities and the Care of Children: Images, Ideas and Identities’: https://www.routledge.com/Men-Masculinities-and-the-Care-of-Children-Images-Ideas-and-Identities/Robb/p/book/9781138234550He has also edited a book (available for free as an e-book) on ‘Fathers and Forefathers: Men and their Children in Genealogical Perspective’: https://www.mdpi.com/books/pdfview/book/2628Martin, Sandy and others worked on an Open University project called ‘Beyond Male Role Models’: https://wels.open.ac.uk/research/beyond-male-role-modelsMartin, Sandy and David Bartlett have collaborated on a project for Promundo on ‘Young Men, Masculinity and Wellbeing’: https://promundoglobal.org/resources/young-men-masculinity-wellbeing-open-university-research-project-association-promundo/At the end of the episode Stephen and Sandy mention our own new book, co-authored with Prof Nicole Westmarland and several international colleagues, which has just been published by Policy Press (including as a free e-book) - ‘Men’s Activism to End Violence Against Women: Voices from Spain, Sweden and the UK’: https://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/mens-activism-to-end-violence-against-womenThis episode was hosted by Stephen Burrell and Sandy Ruxton, and was produced by Vic Turnbull from MIC Media: https://micmedia.co.uk. We are very grateful to Vic from all of the support she has given us in setting up Now and Men.

Now and Men features current conversations about masculinity, men's lives, and gender equality. It was launched in July 2021, and can be found wherever you get your podcasts!