The relationship between men, masculinity and violence has been discussed with renewed fervour in recent months. The United Kingdom saw a fresh focus on questions surrounding the societal problem of male violence this year following the death of Sarah Everard by a male police officer who was under investigation for sexual harassment. Statistics were thrown around, the names of women killed by men were read out in Parliament, and even a ‘curfew’ for men was sardonically proposed. Articles were produced from numerous news and blog sites describing how men can be allies to women and make them feel safe in public including Solace Women’s Aid producing a ‘Good Guy’s Guide’ for how men should interact with women in the streets.
Counter arguments were raised, of course, that it is fundamentally unfair to hold all men partially responsible for the crimes of some men, that men’s mental health is damaged by this notion of them as potential predators, and that statistically men are more likely to be victims of violence than women are. The responses to criticism articulated that violence against women exists as a particularly unique expression of gendered behaviour influenced by patriarchal attitudes towards women, the cultural normalisation of male entitlement towards women and that violence is viewed as an acceptable response to uphold patriarchal values.
