Jun 19 2024 39 mins
In today's episode of Good Authority, Jonathan and Gary Barker engage in a thought-provoking conversation about challenging traditional gender norms and binary labels, particularly those associated with masculinity. They share personal experiences and observations on the harmful effects of toxic masculinity and the importance of creating safe spaces for men to express emotions and open up about their struggles. They also discuss the challenges of expressing emotions and prioritizing mental health in a society that expects men to be stoic and unemotional, and the effects of social media on young people. The conversation highlights the need for ongoing support and dialogue to empower girls and boys and break down barriers that restrict their full equality, while also emphasizing the importance of self-care, empathy, and open communication in fostering a more emotionally authentic and supportive environment for men.
Gary Barker, PhD, has been a global voice in engaging men and boys in advancing gender equality, gender justice and positive masculinities for three decades. He is the CEO and co-founder of Equimundo Center for Masculinities and Social Justice, a major contributor to international activism on male allyship in gender equality. He was the first Executive Director of Instituto Promundo in Brazil and led its pioneering work on healthy masculinities. He is co-founder of MenCare, a global campaign in more than 50 countries to promote men’s involvement as caregivers, and co-founder of MenEngage, a global alliance of more than 700 NGOs. He co-created the International Men and Gender Equality Survey (IMAGES), the largest survey of men’s attitudes and behaviors related to violence, fatherhood, and gender equality. He leads Equimundo’s State of the World’s Fathers reports, which has become a major advocacy platform for the global care economy. He has coordinated Equimundo’s partnerships in conflict-affected settings including work on community-based trauma support and restorative justice in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Balkans, the US and Brazil. He advises the UN, the World Bank, national governments, international foundations and corporations on strategies to engage men and boys in promoting gender equality. In 2017 he was named by Apolitical as one of the 20 most influential people in gender policy worldwide. He is an Ashoka Fellow and received the Voices of Solidarity Award from Vital Voices for his work to engage men for gender equality. He holds a PhD in Developmental Psychology and a Research Affiliate position at the Center for Social Sciences, University of Coimbra, Portugal. He lived nearly 20 years in Latin America and is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese.
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