We surveyed 500 men across America to discover what the “average” man (i.e. your husband, boyfriend or brother) thinks about modern day feminist issues. Our conclusion? The number of male feminists in America today may surprise you.
Sure, your man may claim to support your career, but is he really willing to step up and stay home with the children so you can become the primary breadwinner? Does he want a true partner or a wife that will cook and clean for him? Do men actually think sexual assault can be prevented by wearing less provocative clothing? Here are the numbers you’ve been waiting for:
To start, only 38 percent of the men surveyed were willing to self-identify as male feminists when presented with this definition: “Male feminism is a concept where men support feminist views and openly promote women’s rights and other societal issues supporting equal participation of women in the society.” In contrast, a national poll conducted by The Washington Post found that a full 60 percent of women considered themselves feminists.
Thirty-six percent of respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed with the idea of identifying as male feminists, even though 63 percent of men indicated they believe feminism is “about equality, not man-hating.” Those who responded negatively to male feminism cited fears that men’s issues could be overlooked, or that men will “lose their grip on society” by supporting women.
The results suggest that an upbringing in a two-parent household positively influences a man’s opinions on feminism. Interestingly, men raised in a blended family (i.e. multiple generations living in one household or families with step-parents) were the most likely to identify as male feminists at a rate of 44 percent. That’s eight percent more than nuclear families without divorce. Combined, these two parent households were about twice as likely to raise feminists compared to single parent families. Only 14 percent of men raised by single fathers (the lowest rate of all household types) identified as male feminists.
READ MORE: 8 Reasons You Should Date a Male Feminist
However, family upbringing had virtually no impact on whether men described their own ideal relationship as an equal partnership, unrelated to gender-specific roles. Men from both types of households responded positively to this statement at a rate of 79 percent.
Single men (independent of sexual orientation) shared similar opinions as men in relationships on most feminist issues, yet they were nine percent less likely to identify as feminists overall. The issue on which single men and men in relationships differed the most: Single men were six percent more likely to say gender-specific domestic roles would exist in their ideal relationship.
An upsetting data point: Thirty-five percent of men felt that women should avoid situations that “could lead to sexual assault” such as wearing revealing clothing, walking alone or drinking too much alcohol. Maybe these men did not get the memo: Sexual assault occurs when a person makes the decision to assault someone else, not when a woman makes the decision to wear a mini-skirt.
Interestingly, non-white men (49 percent) felt more strongly than white participants (17 percent) that women should take these precautions. This data point becomes more perplexing when you consider that minority females, particularly African-American women, experience higher rates of intimate partner violence compared to other races and ethnic groups.
One piece of good news for all women bringing home the bacon: Seventy-seven percent of men claim they do not feel threatened by female romantic partners or colleagues who earn a higher salary than they do. Now if only we could close the pay gap and bring around the 11 percent of men who do feel threatened or disheartened at the idea of making less money than a woman.
READ MORE: 5 Feminist Foremothers From 1970-Today
Discouragingly, the acceptance of high-powered professional women has not improved with the younger generation. Millennial men were over twice as likely to feel threatened (14 percent) compared to men from Generation X (five percent).
While men can serve as important allies to the feminist movement (just ask UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson about the HeForShe campaign), only 65 percent of men said they would challenge a male friend to hold them accountable for sexist comments or behavior. Sixteen percent explicitly said they would not challenge a male friend on a misogynistic comment. So if your male friend makes an “offhand rape joke” while you’re out at a bar, you could be on your own in explaining why that is not okay.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, higher levels of education appear to correlate directly with increases in male feminism. Those with a Master’s, professional or doctorate degree identified as male feminists at the highest rate (44 percent). In turn, men with college degrees were more likely to be feminists than those with no higher than a high school education.
However, it’s also possible that education helps to produce increasingly “woke” male feminists. Forty-six percent of those with college degrees agreed that they seek to understand the ways in which they have gained and benefited from male privilege, both individually and on an institutional level. Only 34 percent of men without college degrees shared this sentiment.
How does all this translate to the working world? Thirty-nine percent of men said that they are conscious of how often they speak in meetings compared to female colleagues. As a result, they deliberately avoid talking over or interrupting female colleagues. Twenty-nine percent of respondents disagreed, saying they do not avoid interrupting women at work.
READ MORE: 4 Ways Feminism Became Trendy
Do these survey results match your own experiences with male feminism? Tweet us @entity_mag with #StateofMaleFeminism to share your perspective.
