UP’s Transformation Office is encouraging the University community to create or facilitate interventions to “affirm healthier masculinities”.

Men have been at the centre of criticism for the ills that plague society. From gender-based violence, femicide and other forms of violence associated with the dominance of patriarchy, the focus has been on masculinities and how they can be reimagined to dismantle patriarchy and the toxic masculinities that form part of its production.

 With this criticism, men often retreat from public spaces aimed at addressing these ills, with their engagements on issues often being limited to spaces that may not necessarily be safe and affirming of healthier masculinities but would instead be comfortable, non-critical and non-confrontational.

Greater intention needs to be applied to how men, in particular, are engaged in their masculinity and how healthier forms of masculinity may be cultivated as they navigate their day-to-day interactions. Safer spaces need to be created for young men, in particular, spaces that will provide inclusion into their conversations about their role in society and allow them to co-create the necessary interventions to address the ills that burden them and the communities in which they live.

The Transformation Office encourages the University community to consider ways in which the inclusion of young men can be achieved in addressing the challenges plaguing our society and have been attributed to patriarchal structures and the role that unhealthy masculinities play in reproducing the ills affecting our communities.

For support and assistance in creating or facilitating such interventions in your space, please contact the Transformation Office at [email protected].