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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Suicide-a feminist issue?

320 replies

whenwomenruletheworld · 01/01/2016 16:58

Tragically high male suicide rates have I think wrongly painted this as a men's issue. Aren't all the suicides men and women tragedies? And if the "man up/grow a pair" culture is in part responsible for men killing themselves in such numbers, when will society see feminism as the main opponent to the patriarchal bullshit which creates these gender stereotypes as the main hope for both men and women of dismantling them? It is disheartening to hear men talk disparagingly about feminism when my God the alternatives PUA nonsense MRA, UKIP, are so totally discredited. As someone posted on here when will there be a men's rights movement which embraces feminism as it's sister movement and which focuses on things which damage everyone?

OP posts:
Dervel · 11/01/2016 18:10

I'd agree framing in terms of "rights" seems a bit OTT, but there seems to be greater variance of privilege amongst men surely? i.e. Men are more likely to be CEOs Prime Ministers etc, but the fact more men than women find themselves homeless, in prison or indeed steering back to the original post commit suicide.

This is not said in anyway to minimize the negative effects this has on women in society as invariably it does, but as was pointed out above two women are murdered a week, but in that week something like 4 men will have been murdered. Agreed overwhelmingly at the hands of other men.

I worry there is a tendency to cherry pick the top pile men when we do any "as a class" analysis which minimizes and renders invisible men that do suffer.

I hear it often said that men cannot comprehend the lived experience of women. Fair enough I agree, but it then also must follow that women would equally fail to comprehend the lived experiences of men.

TheWomanInTheWall · 11/01/2016 18:01

"none of the women were disabled as a result of child birth, but both grand fathers were disabled as a result of their occupation, scaffolder, pit worker....not uncommon."

Anecdote is not data.

I don't know TBH who has historically died or been disabled more. But I agree with you that it doesn't warrant a men's rights movement - though the more men who get behind women lobbying for any military roles currently debarred, awho split childcare and housework 50:50 from the off, who encourage other men to access HCPs (women do more regularly owing to smears, contraception and babies, which may make it easier to ask for MH help), the more the patriarchy will crumble. There's no conflict there with feminist goals.

TheWomanInTheWall · 11/01/2016 17:56

Prostitution is not illegal in the UK.

itllallbefine · 11/01/2016 17:35

If we include prostitution we would then have to include any number of illegal and dangerous activity men engage in in order to make money. There is some truth that men have generally suffered long term ill health as a result of their occupation, of my grandparents all lived through the war, none of the women were disabled as a result of child birth, but both grand fathers were disabled as a result of their occupation, scaffolder, pit worker....not uncommon. Although as I said earlier, does not warrant a mens right movement.

TheWomanInTheWall · 11/01/2016 17:27

Done by not fine by

Hauling not hailing!

TheWomanInTheWall · 11/01/2016 17:26

"agree that men do in general take on more risky manual jobs,"

Apart from prostitution, of course.

But women have campaigned to be allowed to be refuse workers etc. And unpaid care work is usually fine by women and is often manual and risky (bursting c section stitches hailing an older child or frail grandparent about, for example)

TheWomanInTheWall · 11/01/2016 17:24

"We cannot say it's mens fault that birth is a risky natural process, or indeed that men ought to fix it for us so that it isn't."

Well, let's start with it being acknowledged at least!

And there are absolutely things society can do to reduce the impact of pregnancy and childbirth - allowing women a paid period off around the birth and protecting their job whilst on maternity leave is one.

Far fewer women in the uk die in childbirth now because of hygeine, c-sections and better care. But too many women still end up with other problems that could be avoided.

Dervel · 11/01/2016 17:20

Death is death and undesirable no matter who it's happening to. If we can take steps to minimize risk and fatality be either in the workplace or childbearing we should. I don't think it's unrealistic to examine them side by side.

itllallbefine · 11/01/2016 17:15

I suppose Dervel is getting at the point that by and large "risky" manual tasks are generally performed by Men. We cannot say it's mens fault that birth is a risky natural process, or indeed that men ought to fix it for us so that it isn't.

We can say that society does not appear at the moment to expect women to "man" the barricades. This is a criticism i often see thrown at feminists - i.e. "I don't see you all making a fuss about the monicker 'binmen'" or "How many women do you see working in the roads dept."

I agree that men do in general take on more risky manual jobs, however, that does not mean there is a need for a Mens rights movement.

TheWomanInTheWall · 11/01/2016 17:01

And again, posters cannot 'get rid of you' - they can decline to engage, of course.

TheWomanInTheWall · 11/01/2016 17:00

HTH = hope that helps

slugseatlettuce · 11/01/2016 17:00

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

unexpsoc · 11/01/2016 16:59

HTH.

Sorry, what does HTH mean? I genuinely did screw up, and I did before too and was roundly slammed for it (won't talk about it as it becomes a thread about a thread and I have read up on the rules about that).

Therefore people will see this as a reason to get rid of me.

TheWomanInTheWall · 11/01/2016 16:57

"I am sure there will be people who use this as a reason to have me removed. "

MN doesn't work like that. You are banned for trolling or persistent personal attacks, not for saying upsetting things. HTH.

unexpsoc · 11/01/2016 16:56

You are shitting me? Actual real women still die or come close to death, are disabled temporarily or permanently, have ongoing health issues, massive haemorrages, PND and more serious mental effects - many posters on this board have experienced these - and you want to make some flip point about your wife squeezing your hand too hard or shouting at you in labour? I no longer think you are here in good faith, or else you are so hard of thinking that empathy and compassion mean nothing to you. What a shame.

I absolutely never meant to cause any pain or suffering or upset. I actually did almost lose my wife (twice) and found humour a way of coping with it. I wish I had taken the PTSD counselling offered to me after the first one it was so horrific.

If anyone IS offended directly by what I said I can only, only apologise. I never meant it that way, and because of my own health issues I lack the social skills to use humour effectively and struggle to display empathy. For those reasons it didn't even occur to me that this might upset people. I am genuinely truly sorry.

Thank you for telling me this, and it is the second time I have done something stupid on these boards. I keep getting it wrong, but I am here genuinely to learn more and try to get a better, more diverse perspective. I am sure there will be people who use this as a reason to have me removed. If so, I understand but I can only appeal to your humane side. It is not easy not having the social skills other people do.

slugseatlettuce · 11/01/2016 16:49

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Dervel · 11/01/2016 16:49

I'd have no trouble including childbirth in the analysis, I also remember looking into dangerous professions awhile ago and iirc the most dangerous occupation is actually prostitution, although I don't think being considered part of the black economy means those numbers are tallied in usual statistics.

MelindaMay · 11/01/2016 16:45

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

TheWomanInTheWall · 11/01/2016 16:40

Oh, confusing, a slug and a slugseatlettuce! I will try and be clearer.

"I meant that my wife nearly made me a man who died in childbirth the second time around. I missed a smilie. "

You are shitting me? Actual real women still die or come close to death, are disabled temporarily or permanently, have ongoing health issues, massive haemorrages, PND and more serious mental effects - many posters on this board have experienced these - and you want to make some flip point about your wife squeezing your hand too hard or shouting at you in labour?

I no longer think you are here in good faith, or else you are so hard of thinking that empathy and compassion mean nothing to you. What a shame.

Dervel · 11/01/2016 16:39

I think a more productive avenue of discussion are workplace deaths and injury rather an theoretical wars. Are you more or less likely to be crippled or killed at work as a man or a woman?

unexpsoc · 11/01/2016 16:38

But somehow this fact isn't as important as the very unlikely (and currently illegal) prospect of men being forced to go to war and be killed.

Has somebody suggested this here, on this thread slug?

slug · 11/01/2016 16:33

I agree WomanInTheWall.

For millennia men have forced women to get pregnant (they still do), forced women to carry babies to term whether wanted or not (they still do) and in doing so have killed millions of women unnecessarily.

But somehow this fact isn't as important as the very unlikely (and currently illegal) prospect of men being forced to go to war and be killed.

unexpsoc · 11/01/2016 16:30

Sorry that the deaths of millions of women are irrelevant. And that your wife nearly died in childbirth.

I meant that my wife nearly made me a man who died in childbirth the second time around. I missed a smilie.

The deaths of that many women are NOT irrelevant. But then I have never argued that they were. I can't comment for other people who have argued that. What I said is they are not analogous.

unexpsoc · 11/01/2016 16:28

I cannot agree (from a practical rather than ideological standpoint) that legislation that might lead to those being withdrawn i.e. the lowest common denominator would be good for women.

Sorry, missed this, but I can't imagine ANY company publicly stating "hey everyone we have cut our company maternity pay offer now because men can get it too". I do not believe that would have been the outcome of it. Can you imagine the press they would get? Therefore I don't think that IS a practical perspective.

TheWomanInTheWall · 11/01/2016 16:26

Sorry that the deaths of millions of women are irrelevant. And that your wife nearly died in childbirth.