@PlantsArePeopleToo
So you're dismissive of raising awareness of men being able to be visible as victims when society frequently treats that as an impossibility.
You're equally dismissive of raising awareness of men's achievements.
So what, exactly, is your point? That men shouldn't have a day, because women have it worse? Or should men only have a day provided that they mark it in a way that you, a woman, choose for them?
Forgive me for being amused at how well it would go down if I, as a man, started telling women how to celebrate IWD. I bet that wouldn't cause any problems at all.
Are you saying that men don't have problems specific to their gender?
Are you saying that even if they do, those problems shouldn't be addressed?
Are you worried that by having IMD, somehow IWD is devalued?
I mean, you asked for specific instances of male problems, so okay; let's go with the ingrained and hugely damaging societal expectation that "Men don't cry". Men are still expected on a daily basis to suppress and conceal every instance of despair and sadness that they feel. 24/7/365. We don't talk about it. We don't discuss it. Ever. With anyone. Further, male support networks do not serve the same function as female support networks. There is no male equivalent to "having a good cry" with your best friend on the sofa with a cup of tea. The closest we get is going for drinks and getting a halfhearted pat on the shoulder as we manfully refuse to talk about it. If I burst into tears at my friends house he would have no fucking clue what to do.
If a man thinks his partner is cheating on him, what does he do? Who does he talk to? Nobody. He talks to no-one. He can't talk to his mates, because his mates have no idea what to say. He can't talk to his partner, because she's the problem. He can't talk to his mother, or his sister, because he feels less of a man. He doesn't visit websites like MN to get the opinions of total strangers. He sits on the sofa, alone, and despairs.
A man feels like he has psychological problems. He's depressed. He's deeply, darkly depressed. He's contemplating suicide. So he wants to go to a medical professional, and ask to be signed off work. Except he's the sole earner in the family, because his wife is a SAHM looking after their two kids. Without his salary they lose the house and the car, and end up destitute. So he doesn't sign off, and he doesn't seek help, until the day comes that he can't deal with it any more.
So how do we address this? By mentioning, on IMD, that it's okay for men to cry, and it's okay for men to seek help and talk to people about their problems instead of bottling everything up.
Does this mean that women don't have problems? No. Of course women have problems. Women are more likely to suffer rape, more likely to suffer bias in the workplace, more likely to be forced into the role of the primary caregiver to their children, to name just a few. Every demographic has problems. Spending 8 hours in a year discussing the problems faced by one doesn't dismiss the problems faced by the others.