sou · H2B36 · 2014-02-13 00:00:00 — On weekdays, men spend two hours less on this compared with women. One in six cohabiting men feel that they do too when it comes to work in the home. One in four women feel that they do too much. In broad terms, achieving true gender equality in fact requires that men and women spend an equal number of hours in gainful employment and that they fully share responsibilities in the home, etc. We also discuss issues concerning men in caring professions and how future demographic changes will increase the need for staff in health and social care. Having more men working in these sectors is important both from a gender equality perspective and to broaden and increase recruitment of staff to health services. Chapter 7 deals with men, families and parenthood. The amount of parental leave taken by men is increasing, but this development is slow. Responsibility for care of small children has traditionally been – and still remains – largely the responsibility of women, but many men are in favour of changing this. In the chapter, we discuss mens attitudes to parenthood, the history of the Swedish fatherhood policy, men who take parental leave and mens experiences of separations and custody disputes. Fathers take 9 per cent of the parents total allocation of parental benefit days up until the childs first birthday and 17 per cent of the days up until the childs second birthday. There are large differences in mens parental benefit claims and over 20 per cent of men still take any parental leave at all before the child begins preschool. An individualised parental insurance system is necessary to significantly increase mens share. This is partly to give the child a good opportunity to bond with both the father and mother, and partly to create more gender-equal relations that also give the mother the same equal opportunities in the labour market as the father. This, we believe, supported by our research reports, would be very beneficial for gender equality. Flexibility in the parental insurance system and the possibility of spreading out days – which most parents do – mean that a parent in most cases can still be at home for close to a year, even if the right to transfer days between parents is removed. In light of this, dividing parental insurance into thirds seems like a relatively modest change. An additional fathers month alone would probably have a limited effect on the amount of leave men take. The reason we take a positive approach to reform of parental insurance is that we feel this provides society with a tangible and effective tool for increasing gender equality. This also means that employers would no longer be able to take the attitude that – taking account of attendance at work – it is safer to employ a man aged 25–30 than a woman of the same age. We also emphasise that mens parental leave must be seen as a rights issue for men, and that considerable evidence suggests that parental leave has a positive impact on mens lives. It enhances the contact between fathers and their children throughout life, and in particular if the parents separate. We also point out that most of the men who become parents today are not married but are cohabiting with the childs mother. Fatherhood must then be confirmed by the social services, and these routines should be simplified. The opportunities for LGBT parents and rainbow families to share parental leave among more than two guardians is also an issue for closer examination. We have also raised the issue of custody disputes. There is a sharp increase in the proportion of children who currently alternate their between their parents following a separation. It is still most common for women to be the resident parent. We point to the fact that certain groups of men have reported experiences of gender-oriented treatment in family courts and that current legislation is felt to be a driver of conflict. Women also often experience problems in family courts, and there appears to be a significant need to provide further support to parents caught up in custody disputes. It seems that social services could facilitate custody processes and reduce conflict situations by reviewing their working methods. New methods are currently developed by social services and this needs to be given public attention together with questions about custody disputes in general. There are high expectations for the Governments coming evaluation of custody legislation, which should consider the entire custody process. Mens health, ill health and social vulnerability Chapter 8 deals with mens health, ill health and social vulnerability. Men and health is an extensive research area. We highlight two combined perspectives found in this field of research. One is how norms for masculinity affect mens health behaviour, the other how analyses of socio-economic conditions are crucial for correct descriptions of issues concerning men, physique and health. Health and ill health are clearly linked to matters such as socio-economic conditions. Women, in general, are more affected by ill health. Norms for masculinity, however, have an unnecessary impact on mens relation to health services. Norms based on the view that men should be tough, invulnerable, robust and not show weakness have consequences for mens health. Many men tend not to seek care in time and to a greater extent devote themselves to unwholesome and risky habits and activities. Research also points to ways in which health and care can contribute to the perception of men as invulnerable and strong by not asking men as many questions or not viewing risky behaviour as a sign of psychological ill health. Improving opportunities for men to talk about health and ill health is therefore an important measure. For example, it has emerged that young men suffering from depression have fewer relations and environments where they can talk about their situation. We also address issues concerning mens changed attitudes to the way they look and their physique. Discussions are presented here on the aestheticisation by certain men of their bodies and how this contributes to the view of mens bodies and identities. Another area is health issues associated with the work. We point to the fact that men are less on sick leave than women. We also point to the fact that men suffer a great proportion of accidents at work compared to women and a significantly larger proportion of the fatal accidents. We also highlight issues concerning male suicide – which represents 70 per cent of the total number of suicides and issues concerning social vulnerability such as homelessness, criminality and substance abuse, and how these can be related to issues concerning masculinity. Finally, we point out that gender equality appears to entail advantages for men in the form of better health and reduced risk behaviour. Chapter 9 deals with mens violence. The discussion in the chapter looks at mens violence against women as well as mens violence against other men and mens exposure to violence. Most men do not exercise violence, but mens violence against women and against other men is widespread and the fight against violence should be of concern to all men. From a gender equality perspective, there are a variety of reasons why it is important to question forms of accepted violence between men. It is reasonable to assume there is a risk that violence against women will increase in contexts where violence between men is normalised. In addition, violence between men is not something that should be accepted, just as violence against women should not be accepted. The fact that violence between men in certain contexts can be seen as normal elements of young mens ordinary lives comes at the expense of a reduced status for health care and gender equality, which can affect the opportunities for young men to identify with gender-equal life patterns. Further attention must be given to mens violence against women, both generally and with focus on particularly vulnerable groups of women. We emphasise that gender-equal men who exercise violence often have difficulty accepting a self-image as an abusive man, and that this can lead to violence being covered up or to their avoiding seeking treatment. Highlighting mens violence against women is not contradictory to calling attention to men exposed to relation-based violence, something that has occurred in recent years. But these phenomena have different forms and cannot be equated. Violence against women in close relationships is more serious, more vicious and much more dangerous. The work against violence includes issues regarding sexual violence, harassment, hate crimes and honour- related violence. Research on men and violence stands out as a field that requires greater attention. It is a matter of both violence in close relationships and collective violence exercised by men in groups, for example hooligan disturbances. In addition, we present various preventive measures to reduce mens violence, and we look at how gender equality affects the way men exercise violence; strong evidence suggests that enhanced gender equality in society reduces mens violence. In Chapter 10 we discuss mens view of sexuality and issues concerning mens sexual health. Today there is a growing awareness of the needs men have in terms of care and counselling regarding sexual health. Increased focus on mens sexual health issues can be seen as a part of gender equality efforts that benefit men and change stereotypical ideas of mens sexuality. Also discussed in the chapter are heteronormativity and LGBT issues, including HIV. In addition, we discuss issues regarding pornography and the internet, and how sexual abuse of women on the internet appears to be a growing social problem. In order to include boys in sex education and to problematise norms and gender inequality in a way that not only highlights problems but also provides examples of positive approaches, we describe respect techniques that can be used in sex education. respect techniques can be used as a tool to discuss masculinity norms and gender equality. In addition, we discuss mens role in prostitution and the purchase of sexual services. We highlight the significance of the Swedish legislation on the prohibition of the purchase of sexual services and of companies clearly signalling their opposition to prostitution and the sex trade in their codes of conduct in connection with business trips. We also call attention to clinics that work with men who purchase sexual services and the fact that it is important to highlight the situation of young men who sell sex. In the debate, it has been pointed out that that in , there is neither enough of andrology in education, nor knowledge of andrology in the health care system in . It has been argued that this contributes to mens sexual health risks being neglected and an underutilization of existing treatment options to improve mens quality of life. This is confirmed in our study where we discuss the needs of clinics for men and better andrological knowledge in health care. Mens attitudes towards and perceptions of gender equality Chapter 11 deals with mens attitudes towards gender equality and other social issues that in various ways are related to gender equality. We point out that men vote for conservative parties more often than women and are less interested in soft issues. The attitude towards gender equality appears to be increasingly positive among the majority of men and there is a positive link between mens attitudes towards gender equality and gender equal actions. At the same time, it still holds true that many men – and to a certain degree even women – have an in principle attitude towards gender equality when discussing concrete gender equality policy measures. In this context, there is reason to ask whether the gender equality aspects of attitude-changing measures – aimed at breaking norms and structures – are limited compared with concrete measures such as reformed parental insurance. There are men who are actively involved in gender equality issues and feminism. There is also a more visible, although not necessarily larger, resistance – not least in digital media – against the move towards gender equality, and in particular against feminism. Resistance may be based on principles, but also a lack of knowledge or an unwillingness to have to problematise gender- unequal structures in society and mens traditional positions. Men are overrepresented among people with xenophobic views. Issues concerning xenophobia and opposition to immigration are often related to opposition to gender equality and feminism. Hatred of women, refugees and homosexuals is cultivated in certain xenophobic subgroups. These attitudes can be linked to the defence of traditional forms of dominant masculinity, which some men feel they have the right to express. There are also groups – not least among young men – that can express both opposition to immigration and criticism of gender equality as a way of dealing with a perceived marginalisation in society. Regarding the issue of mens attitudes towards gender equality, attention is given to both change and opposition, and to the need to link attitudes to broader societal changes. In Chapter 12 we describe research on men, organisations and activities that work with issues concerning men and gender equality. Research on men, gender and masculinity is at present an extensive and well-established scientific field. Within the framework of masculinity research, a number of fields concerning men and society have been analysed and continuously explored. The research is conducted globally, and and the Nordic countries have a strong position in the field. Research on men and masculinity also receives attention in international political contexts. Extensive investigative work on issues concerning men and gender equality has been produced by Commission in cooperation with a large number of European researchers in the field of masculinity research. There are a number of organisations and groups in and internationally working on gender equality issues and men. In particular, there are many activities that focus on issues concerning men and violence. The chapter contains an inventory of these. primarily the organisation för jämställdhet (Men for gender equality) that conducts long-term work in and that cooperates with several other organisations in the international arena, including the organisation . These activities are gaining increasing attention in national gender equality work and international development work. One problem for non-profit organisations is that work to bring about change is often conducted in project form and can be difficult to evaluate. Non- profit organisations whose work focuses on men and gender equality and that achieve good results should therefore be provided with the right conditions to conduct positive, continuous activities. We also discuss the need to strengthen and develop father and parent education and the need to support activities in which men and younger men work together to combat mens violence. Men, gender equality and social change We present our concluding perspectives and overall conclusions in Chapter 13. of a current masculine identity crisis and the beginning of female dominance in society are discussed here. We believe that these in many ways are off mark. If anything, womens progress in many areas of society is a democratic and social . A development that can – hopefully – strengthen gender equality as the norm would alter the perception of men and women for the better. At the same time, we problematise the issue of developments concerning gender equality and raise the question of whether there is a risk of an increasing gender equality gap emerging in . There are signs that a gender-equal lifestyle exists and will continue to exist primarily in groups with good levels of education and good incomes, while the opportunities to live a gender-equal life may actually be decreasing for those whose position in working life is weak and increasingly insecure. This applies to future opportunities for women in service and health care professions as well as to large groups of men at risk of being affected by restructuring or who fail at school and have problems establishing themselves in working life. At the same time, we see that also in high-income families, rather frequent gender unequal patterns exist, for example when it comes to parental leave. Issues concerning globalisation, sustainable growth, the ageing population, migration and integration, democracy and social cohesion have been identified as key future issues for . We consider that work on gender equality issues in a broad sense, and in particular issues concerning men and mens norms, lay these challenges. We stress the need to highlight how mens norms affect individuals and society, the importance of giving visibility to issues concerning men in gender equality efforts and mens responsibility for gender equality. In addition, gender equality issues must be put in relation to broad social policy perspectives. Good welfare, child and elderly care, an inclusive labour market and an equivalent educational system are needed for men and women to have equal power and equal opportunities to shape society and their own lives. 1Utredningsdirektiven och arbetets uppläggning m.m. Direktiven (dir. 2012:97 och 2013:50) för vårt arbete finns i bilaga 1 och 2. Vi (utredningen) har mötts vid fyra tillfällen. Före, under och efter mötena har vi författat underlag till texter, diskuterat idéer och ställningstaganden, kommenterat underlag till texter och författat detta betänkande. I syfte att hämta in kunskap, sprida information och samtala har vi bl.a. arrangerat seminarier, presenterat vårt arbete externt, medverkat och deltagit i externa arrangemang och mött företrädare för olika verksamheter. Vi har för utredningen och särskilt inbjudna arrangerat fem seminarier som behandlat flera av utredningens områden. Tillsammans med Delegationen för jämställdhet i arbetslivet (JA-delegationen, A 2011:5, dir. 2011:80) har vi arrangerat konferensen män med omsorg. Vi har presenterat vårt arbete för JA-delegationen, jämställd- hetsministerns jämställdhetsråd, Liberala kvinnor, Kommuner och Landsting (SKL) samt UN Women Nationell Kommitté . Vi har medverkat och deltagit i Almedalsveckan , () konferens om Men and Gender Equality, JA-delegationens seminarium Stafettpinnen, fackliga konferens om män i omsorgsyrken, i län konferens om maskulinitet i skolan, Utredningsdirektiven och arbetets uppläggning m.m. Nordiska ministerrådets tvärnordiska konferens om framtidens jämställdhetspolitik, Realstars arrangemang på Anti-trafficking-dagen 2013, Svensk andrologisk förenings konferens om andrologi och mäns hälsa samt i seminarium med Talmannens referensgrupp för jämställdhetsfrågor Vi har deltagit i Nationella sekretariatet för genusforsknings seminarium Ty makten är din samt i presentationer av undersök- ningar om föräldraledighet genomförda av dels (), dels (). Vi har mött företrädare för Bayer Health Care, , JA- delegationen, Man- och familjejouren, Män för jämställdhet (MfJ), Nationella samordnaren mot våld i nära relationer (Ju 2012:05, dir. 2012:38), PappaBarn, Pappamanualen, manliga nätverk (), , Kvinnolobby samt . Vi har, utöver ovan nämnda myndigheter och organisationer, via e- mail och telefon, hämtat in uppgifter från bl.a. AllBright, , , , (), (), (), Akademikers (), , , (SoS), , (), Statsrådsberedningen, , , (), () och . Vi har hämtat in uppgifter från ett stort antal hemsidor. Vi har beställt totalt 16 underlagsrapporter från huvudsakligen forskare och själva författat 5 (se Till läsaren). Vi har haft en hemsida, , där vi presenterat vårt arbete. I vårt arbete har vi haft särskilt stort stöd av dels vår statistik- och jämställdhetskunniga konsult , dels Kommittéservice inom . Vi har samverkat med JA-delegationen. Utredningsdirektiven och arbetets uppläggning m.m. Vi har yttrat oss över slutbetänkande (SOU 2013:24) Åtgärder för ett längre arbetsliv. Vi har haft i uppdrag att kartlägga och analysera frågor om män och jämställdhet. Området är synnerligen omfattande och vi har därför behövt göra avgränsningar vilka framgår av innehållsförteckningen. Vi ska, enligt våra direktiv, inte lämna förslag. Dock, de kunskaper och de erfarenheter vi haft och har tillgodogjort oss under utredningens gång har gjort det naturligt och närmast oundvikligt att inom många områden dra slutsatser och peka ut en tydlig riktning. Vårt fokus ska, enligt våra direktiv, vara på andra aspekter och frågeställningar än mäns våld mot kvinnor. Vårt uppdrag har handlat om män och jämställdhet. En del i detta är, tyvärr, mäns våld. Detta riktar sig mot såväl män som kvinnor. Vi har studerat frågan med fokus på mäns våld mot män men för att ge en bred bild av manligt våld har vi även behövt behandla frågor om mäns våld mot kvinnor. Vi ska, enligt våra direktiv, inte behandla frågor som omfattas av det arbete som bedrivs av JA-delegationen. Förvärvsarbetets roll och den identitet den skapar för män – och kvinnor – är så stor och viktig att vi ändå vill behandla frågan om män och arbete. Detta så mycket mer som att förvärvsarbete – eller inte förvärvsarbete – påverkar stora delar av mäns – och kvinnors övriga liv och därmed är en mycket central, om inte den mest centrala faktorn, när det gäller jämställdhet. Vi har, mot bakgrund av våra direktiv, när det gäller förvärvs- arbete valt att begränsa oss till att presentera en stor del fakta, väsentligen statistik, och till att analysera endast vissa förhållanden. 1.6Disposition av resultatet av vårt arbete Dispositionen av resultatet av vårt arbete har vi redovisat ovan (Till läsaren) och den framgår mer i detalj av innehållsförteck- ningen. 1.Jämställdhet som samhällelig fråga har i huvudsak drivits av kvinnor. Många män har förhållit sig passiva och vissa har gjort motstånd. Det är hög tid att fler män tar ett större ansvar för ett jämställt samhälle. 2.Det är viktigt att mäns roller, insatser och villkor uppmärk- sammas i det jämställdhetspolitiska arbetet och att män blir mer delaktiga. 3.De könsnormer och handlingsmönster som begränsar kvinnors livschanser kan även påverka mäns livschanser negativt. Detta är ett perspektiv som måste uppmärksammas i arbetet för jämställdhet. 4.På en rad samhällsområden utmanas mäns självbilder. lever många traditionella normer kvar och hyllas på andra områden, trots förändring i samhället och politiska insatser. 5.Män är överrepresenterade i samhällets topp och också i flera av de kategorier som vi uppfattar som de mest utsatta i samhället. 6.Jämställdhetsdebatten fokuserar ofta med rätta på mäns makt och resurser. Det är viktigt att ta upp skillnader mellan mäns olika villkor i samhället och hur deras olika resurser, möjligheter och beteenden får konsekvenser. 2.1Vilket har mitt uppdrag varit? Jag har, som framgår av Till läsaren, haft regeringens uppdrag att, som särskild utredare, kartlägga och analysera frågor som rör män och jämställdhet. I mitt arbete har jag haft stor hjälp från dem som regeringen utsett att stödja mig i mitt arbete, nämligen den sakkunniga, de sju experterna och de två sekreterarna (se under Till statsrådet). Även om jag har varit ensam beslutande i utredningen kommer jag oftast att i detta betänkande använda vi, därmed menandes alla de ovan nämnda. I vårt arbete har vi också haft stöd av en rad myndigheter, organisationer och personer som vi på olika sätt haft kontakt med. De flesta av dessa har presenterats i kapitel 1.2. Vi har också haft stöd av forskare m.fl. från vilka vi beställt underlagsrapporter. Vad de skrivit om framgår av bilageförteck- ningen. Att utreda frågan om män och jämställdhet är komplext. En del av uppdraget har varit att studera mäns livssituation och livsvillkor.