Kenneth Reinicke - Keynote Lecturer
Kenneth Reinicke is Associate Professor of Masculinity studies at Roskilde University’s Department of Social Sciences and Business. Kenneth Reinicke has written several books on masculinity and gender equality with a specific focus on how to get men interested in the issues of gender equality. Kenneth Reinicke has received the “Mathilde Prize” from Women’s Council in Denmark due to his work against prostitution. Kenneth’s recent publications include the books Mænd som krænker kvinder – refleksioner i kølvandet på #MeToo (Men Who Violate Women – Reflections in the Wake of #MeToo, 2018) and Men After #MeToo, 2022.
How can men be allies in the fight against sexual harassment?
A question often asked, in the wake of #MeToo, is how men can play a positive role in changing some of the norms in male culture that support sexist and heterosexist abuse. #MeToo has had a major impact on the way men see themselves and their lives both in terms of behaviour and self-perception. #MeToo constitutes a potential learning moment that gives men the chance to reflect on things that they perhaps did not have to think about before, and for some men this represents an opportunity for change. Although some men embody root causes of sexual harassment, men can also be part of the solution and be allies in the process of change.
However, it is not easy for men to become an ally. We must not underestimate what men have to lose if patriarchal privileges are challenged. When men are told to address their own potential perpetration of sexual harassment against women or their complicity in this, many are uninterested and some react with hostility. Masculinity plays an important part in men’s widespread inaction to stop men’s perpetration of sexual harassment. Men who challenge other men’s sexist attitudes or behaviour risk facing criticism and possibly ridicule amid doubts about their strength and masculine credentials, thus losing standing with their male peers.
In my book Men after #MeToo I have interviewed young men about their perception of sexual harassment, to find out what men are willing to do to stop sexual harassment and what holds men back from participating in this effort. Some of the men interviewed were profoundly influenced by the #MeToo movement. They were self-reflexive and stated that they wanted to examine their own role, power, and privileges. Despite the fact that none of the men perceived themselves as a ‘bad guy’, several of them – since #MeToo took off – had been considering whether they were part of the problem and recognized that they had engaged in mild forms of sexual harassment in the past. This awareness had turned into an ongoing struggle for some of the men.
