“It’s not the men in my life I worry about, it’s the life in my men.”

-Mae West

Men have always been a integral part of the women’s movement. In fact, the earliest notable achievement of the women’s movement, suffrage, or the right to vote, was granted by a congress made up solely of men.

In modern times, many have come to (unfortunately) associate the women’s movement and feminism with anti-male sentiments. This is not the spirit of feminism, or the goal of the women’s movement. Feminism is really a sort of humanism; a belief that both sexes are to be regarded individually and not as a group, and that both sexes have an equal right to strive for the privileges offered by our society.

Men who support the women’s movement are usually not threatened by competing with women for work or other rewards. It’s often the case that men who have had bad experiences with women are opposed to this movement, and see it as a weakness in the men who do support it. The men who support the women’s movement are very brave, and very secure in their own abilities.

Men who are involved in the women’s movement are willing to cooperate with those who are different from them, and strive for equality in other ways as well. Many men who support the women’s movement also support anti-discrimination laws. Some are involved in many different fights against prejudice and oppression.

Some notable men who support, or are involved with, the women’s movement, feminism, or humanism

Alan Alda, actor on MASH and “Scientific American Frontiers”, also has performed in many films.
Alan Alda became involved with feminism during his twenties, and has been active in this cause ever since.

Frederick Engels, Communist author. Engels believed that women were capable of the same work as men.

John Stuart Mill, British author who wrote extensively about feminism and the rights of women.

Jeremy Bentham, British philosopher who argued in favor of women’s suffrage.

Johann Bachofen, anthropologist who discvovered the matrilineal principle in indigenous cultures.

Karl Jung, psychiatrist who believed matriarchy was part of the human unconscious and debunked theories in his field which referred to the hysterical nature of women.

H.G. Wells, author who was married to a feminist and included female protagonists in his work.

The Congress of the United States of America, circa 1920, a governing body which passed, and then approved, the right of women to vote.

There are many, many more examples of men who have been supportive of the feminist movement. By definition, men that support humanism such as Kurt Vonnegut, Albert Einstein, Thomas Mann, among others, are also supportive of the women’s movement in its purest form.

Men have a very important place in the women’s movement. Men are our partners, friends, and brothers on the path. Welcoming them into the women’s movement with open arms shows the true meaning of feminism- that sex and gender roles do not determine ability, talent, or persona.