Dr Julie Mills, chair of Women Leaders UK.
Susan Popoola, organiser of an International Men’s Day forum in Milton Keynes, reflects on a discussion of positive male role models as part of the continued progression towards inclusion.
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MOST people are aware that International Women’s Day is in March. Very few, however, know that an International Men’s Day exists or when it is. “Why do we need a special day for men?”, some even ask, when it is often felt that men already dominate the public eye.
However, if we are to achieve a well-balanced and inclusive society, we need to ensure that we do not overlook or sideline men. We also need to progress beyond the conversations of male privilege and negative behaviours to highlight the positive behaviours, attitudes and approaches that we appreciate in men.
In line with this, International Men’s Day has six pillars which actually serve wider society:
- Promoting positive male role models.
- Celebrating men’s positive contributions to society, community, family, marriage, child care, and the environment.
- Focusing on men’s health and wellbeing.
- Highlighting discrimination against men in areas such as social services, social attitudes, expectations, and law.
- Improving gender relations and promote gender equality.
- Creating a safer, better world where people can grow to reach their full potential.
For International Men’s Day has the specific goals of:
- Promoting positive role models Highlighting the achievements of men across various fields and encouraging positive masculinity.
- Addressing men’s health issues Raising awareness about mental and physical health challenges, including high suicide rates and underperformance in education.
- Encouraging gender equality Advocating for equitable treatment and opportunities for all genders.
This year’s International Men’s Day provided the perfect opportunity to celebrate men who inspire and embody the qualities we aim to amplify. With that in mind, I decided to organise an event in Milton Keynes to bring together a mosaic of voices to celebrate men, with the support of organisations such as Women Leaders, Milton Keynes Business Leaders Partnership, law firm Howes Percival and Milton Keynes College.
The celebration featured impactful storytelling about men who have served as role models or are inspirational in some form, complemented by responses from male voices.
“It is our collective responsibility to ensure that everyone’s voice is heard in the fight for equality,” said Dr Julie Mills, chair of Women Leaders UK. “While it might appear counterintuitive for Women Leaders to support an International Men’s Day event, it is not.
“As a charity, we have repeatedly said that supporting women is not anti-men. Taking the opportunity to celebrate our personal role models – those inspiring men who have played key roles in our journey – is an important part of working inclusively towards gender parity.”
The Countess Howe, HM Lord-Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire, provided the context of the complexities and changes in society which impact the roles and responsibilities of both men and women. While being mindful of the historic disadvantages that women have faced, we also need to be mindful of how things are changing and impacting the traditional roles of men, she said.
Lady Howe’s introduction was followed by stories from a line-up of inspirational women invited by Susan to take the mic to champion their positive role models.
This included Dr Julie Mills, Kurshida Mirza, the High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire, Enigma Fitness director Kelly Haynes, former F1 engineer Gemma Hatton, creative director and content maker Kiana Kamlian, Anne Stunell, head of NR at Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Services, Head of HR and Ayser Al-Jawad, this year’s winner of the Women Leaders Outstanding Contribution category.
It was striking to hear them share vulnerable and moving stories of just how important a part men play in our homes, workplaces and society as a whole.
Simon Nichols, founder of Thrive Mental Health and Jack Maude, lead of Milton Keynes College’s Men’s Network, took up the invitation to respond, talking also of the men who had supported them, the importance of creating safe spaces like this for men to open up, feel safe to be vulnerable and be listened to.
In his closing remarks, Milton Keynes Business Leaders Partnership chair Nicholas Mann highlighted the need to love our young men into the people they, we and our society need them to be. Otherwise we leave them vulnerable to the influence of ‘bad actors’ who will readily feel the gap.
This event is a pivotal step in recognising men’s invaluable contributions to our shared path towards an inclusive society that recognises the value that we all bring. The digital image here visually captured the stories in order to draw more people into the conversation and keep these learnings front of mind. With the support of the businesses and wider community of Milton Keynes, she plans to move the conversation into board rooms, leadership teams, the wider workplace and education.
International Men’s Day next year is November 19.
- Susan Popoola is founder and chief executive of leadership development consultancy Mosaic Fusions and author of Male Perspectives on the Value of Women at Work.
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