JOSEPH BAKER

 
MEN SHOULD RESPECT AND SUPPORT WOMEN

As men, we have the opportunity and responsibility to improve the lives of women and girls. In our personal lives, at work and in our communities, we can make choices that support women. When we treat women equally to men, there are many positive effects. Below are some ways in which men can help women in their everyday lives.

 
WOMEN’S EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT

Men should allow their daughters and wives to have a full education. Education allows men and women to progress in life, to be more successful and happier. A woman who receives a good education has a better chance of getting a well-paid job.

When a woman has a job she can share the cost of looking after the family with her husband. When women have a job, this allows men to co-parent and to spend more time raising their children together. Educating women benefits everyone.

 
WOMEN’S HEALTH


There are also important choices that men can make to respect women’s health. The first step is for men to take responsibility for their own sexual health. We owe it to our partners to check our HIV status before having unprotected sex. Being a man and a good husband also involves sharing responsibility for contraception. When a husband and wife both have knowledge about contraception, they are safer and healthier.

Secondly, we can support women whenever they need medical attention. It is very important that women are able to visit a doctor or nurse when they need to. If men restrict women’s movement when they are ill, they can put their lives at risk. Women’s bodies are different from men’s and often require more medical attention, especially during pregnancy. If we prevent women from being educated about their bodies and reproduction then we put their lives in danger.

 
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN


As men, we need to respect women and women’s bodies. Real men never hit a woman or force her to have sex. Real men challenge those who assault women. We men must stand up for women in our families and communities so that they do not suffer violence. A husband does not have a right to have sex with his wife when she does not want to have sex. This is rape, and is very damaging to women and families.

As fathers, we have a duty to protect our daughters from violence. If we want to do this, we should all raise our sons to be respectful of women and their bodies. If a male friend is violent towards his wife we should challenge him. Men can learn from their friends that violence is not acceptable and does not make him a man. As men we have the ability to make long-lasting improvements in our families and in our communities by respecting women equally to men. Everyone, including men, can benefit when women’s voices are heard and respected.
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