How We Raise Boys
Panel Debate
19th July 2015
As part of our summer series of events at Ace Hotel we hosted a panel debate around the topic of how we raise boys. The discussion was based on an essay in our fourth issue written by Charlotte Philby of Motherland.
We brought together the panel, as it seems there has been a lot of focus put on the role and status of girls, women in the 21st century. There are a lot of projects, initiatives and campaigns raising awareness around equal pay, sexism, domestic abuse, sexual harassment and equality across the board but often boys and men are left out of these conversations. It feels that if we want to tackle these issues and achieve real equality we need to start engaging boys of the next generation in these conversations.
Chaired by Riposte editor Danielle Pender the panel included; Charlotte Philby of Motherland, Eche Egbuonu of the Young Black Men Project, poet James Massiah, Margaret Casely-Hayford chair of Action Aid UK and businesswoman and mother Sharmadean Reid.
"There are a lot of projects, initiatives and campaigns raising awareness around equal pay, sexism, domestic abuse, sexual harassment and equality across the board but often boys and men are left out of these conversations."
This is a huge topic but the panel managed to covered many aspects surrounding it, discussing issues such as the messages we give out to boys about what it is to male and masculine, how we as parents can support them so that they're not embarrassed about expressing their emotions, the role of schools and education, the issue of consent, sex education, whether masculinity is in crisis and how this affects society on a wider scale.
There are no easy answers or quick fixes but it seems that the sooner we educate and support young boys and teach them to be part of a different mind set rather than perpetuating the old world order where white men are the dominant group, the more chance we all have to achieve a more equal society.
