Men in feminism : the male feminist

Abstract

Despite men's involvement in feminism and their roles within feminist movements having been well researched, men's lived experiences as self-identified feminists have received limited attention within the academy. Drawing on qualitative data collected from interviews with eleven men, this study explores the motivations that lead men to identify as feminists or become involved in feminist movements and the accounts they give of being a male feminist. Findings indicate that men's choices to identify as feminists involve a continual negotiation of male privilege and power and that some men's identification with feminism connects to their intersectional understanding of their own complex social positioning. This research examines this complexity through a discussion of how participants came to identify as feminists, what being a feminist means to them, and how they articulate their own ways of doing feminism. This study argues that attempts to engage men more actively in feminism will only become possible if we first understand the motivations of male feminists and that male feminism is a constant negotiation between recognising male privilege and understanding female subjugation.

Date of Award	2019
Original language	English