Madel O.

Bungay
Paper 6
13-11235
the Law
May 23, 2015
Rosario

Reflection
Gender and
Atty. Alger-del

Feminism for Men:

Legal Ideology and the Construction of Maleness
By Nancy Levit
Throughout this course, I have come across several feminism articles
and noticed that said topic has been mostly campaigned by women activists,
researchers, and authors. This is understandable since their rights as women
in a sexist and discriminatory society are what they have been fighting for.
However, in Levits article, Feminism for Men, she has questioned whether
men can be feminists. This is an interesting article because more people
nowadays are more accepting of our diversities in that no matter what ones
race, sexual preference, or age is, he or she is a part of one human race
whose rights are supposed to be equal.
In her article, Levit said that the main focus of feminist legal literature
has been focused on recording the patterns of subordination of women. In
turn, she suggests that feminist legal theory needs to turn its attention to
issues of relational justice or the avoidance of gender role stereotyping in
both ways.
Levit explained that over the course of feminism development, men
have been treated as objects of analysis, as oppressors, or have simply been
omitted. She then proposes that feminism is ready to invite men into the
discourse. For her, this is the next level of the movement.
Levit also explained that men are being harmed by gender
stereotypes. She also said that feminist legal constructs and analysis have
shaped masculinity by statutes, judicial decisions, and legal reasoning. One
example she presented is the existence of some laws that impede male
plaintiffs from suing for same-sex sexual harassment. Another example is the
lack of interest in male rape as well as spousal battery of men, thus
contributing to an environment wherein men are trained to suffer in silence.

Moreover, Levit illustrated that men are socially and legally excluded from
caring and nurturing roles in the family and such sends distinct messages
about what it means to be a man.
As a recommendation, Levit expressed that men and women can
reconstruct the images of gender in order to bring about a society in which
traditional gender roles become unimportant. She said that for feminist
objectives to succeed, they must become more all-encompassing, applying
to both men and women. Further, she said that is not only possible for men
to become feminists, but it is imperative that they do. I believe in what she
expressed that unless it becomes acceptable for men to hurt, to leave roles
that foster aggression, to complain about the effects of gender role
stereotypes, and to participate more fully in realms traditionally occupied by
women, feminism has little chance of moving forward or expanding its
audience.
This article of Levit brings about a sense of hope in humanity. I would
be more than ecstatic to live in a world where ones sex, gender, race,
language, skin color, or age will not hinder him or her to fight for equal
rights. It would be nice to see gender roles erased altogether for men and
women to achieve whatever it is they want to fulfill. I believe that In order to
achieve equality among all of us, there must be a collaborative effort. No
one should be above anyone else because we are all the same inside. No
matter who it is that we believe in be it God, Allah, or nature, or whether we
do not believe in a greater being, we should all respect and care for one
another and create a ripple effect to expand a discerning of equal rights for
all. In the end, it is the survival of mankind that we strive for and not its
destruction. What must be destroyed, instead, are the stereotypes that
permeate the fabric of our daily lives and connections, creating a rift and
damaging relations. In this day and age, we must all work toward achieving
equality in all aspects of the human existence. As what Martin Luther have
said, A man does not live for himself alone in this mortal body to work for it
alone, but he lives also for all men on earth; rather, he lives only for others
and not for himself. To this end he brings his body into subjection that he
may the more sincerely and freely serve others.