Goals
What is Profeminisme
EuroPRO-Fem in 100 words

Goals

For the last 20 years or so a minority of men, though in increasing numbers, have joined the struggle for equal opportunities between the sexes, setting up men's groups, centres for violent men, publications and networks, and mounting actions against war and the concept of the "virile man". Their aim is to work towards a non-sexist society with, and in support of, women.

But profeminist men in many European countries are still isolated by the lack of any links between individual groups and this situation is holding back debate, exchanges of information and the organization of joint campaigns by women and men.

This is why we want to link up the various men who, in one way or another, support the struggle against patriarchy and male domination by creating a European network of profeminist men.

Backed by the European Community, our aims are to deconstruct the male gender, carry out more critical analysis of the modes of male domination, try to understand how macho, homophobic societies make us into domina-ting men, and assert our desire to live in peace without violence, without war between men and without oppression of women.

We plan to follow up this year by setting-up a resource point on the Internet to give an outlet to existing groups, publications, studies, networks and the work of men already involved in antisexist work and actions. The database will be made available on CD-Rom in the spring of next year and regularly updated. We believe an Internet site can help promote :

• the exchange of ideas and information and the forging of contacts that will make a substantial contribution towards changing relations between the sexes in society, focusing on the themes of violence against women, children, men, sexuality, men's physical and mental health, work, new maculinities, preventing the spread of HIV, paternity and male contraception ;
• international support for positive actions to promote equality between women and men ;
• debate at European level between men and between women and men with a view to fostering initiatives that lay down new bases for relations between women and men.

The network is open to all men and women, groups, networks, publications, etc. who want to strive for a non-patriarchal society that rejects violence, homophobia and any gender-based discrimination.

We will publish bilingual reports on the work of the network.

For French-speaking profeminists, the term is new. It was adopted during the GREMF feminist colloquium that took place in September 1996 in Quebec city.

Previously, the groups and intellectuals who now join profeminism used to define themselves in various ways : some concerned themselves with antisexism, others with masculinism, anti-patriarchy struggles… Given the growing number of men involved in such movements, it seemed useful to use a federative term emphasizing :

• our support to feminist struggles and reflections by women within women movements, university collectives…
• our positioning as men conscious that male domination exists and requires to be understood if we want it to recede and disappear. We want to be able to live relations in which «gender» (the social sex, the fact to be educated as a man or as a woman) won't be a hierarchic and discriminating variable any longer.

We didn't choose to define as «feminist» men because we find it useful and important that this term should be reserved for women who are fighting against male oppression. Using the same term may create a confusion, and indeed — men do it so well — end up eventually in that men feel legitimized to advise women… about feminism (we already have such examples).

We want to respect the autonomy of women's movement, and we think that we won't be able to achieve any positive change by denying current social differences.

Are there various kinds of profeminism ?

Of course. Even if some themes cross the various debates stemming from profeminism (violence against women, pornography, fatherhood, etc.), they are dealt with and analysed differently. Like feminism, profeminism is a plural movement. We don't aim at achieving a single thinking, which would be totalitarian. Male gender too often donned dismal and dull uniforms for us not to become aware of — and enjoy — the multiplicity of colours and points of view.

In concrete terms, only debates between different groups and trends enable us to go further in common definitions and analyses. More over, the situation of gender relations (whether between men and women, or among men) is different from one country, culture, to another…

Women's allies and profeminists

Many men state that they are « allies » of women fighting for equality, the sharing of household chores… Among these many actually behave thus, in various ways : at an interpersonal level in private life, by favouring the passing of egalitarian laws, backing support networks for women who undergo violence… Schematically, and without any pejorative connotation, these men can in fact be described as «allies of women and feminism».

Profeminist men also belong to this group. But they want to go further : to deconstruct male gender as a dominant, hegemonic and prevailing gender.

Male domination is structured by the opaqueness of the dominants' mores. We want to «unveil» the ways sexism and homophobia are expressed — and cultivated — among men. We reject male complicity when women are its main victims.

The network is open to all men and women, groups, networks, publications, etc. who want to strive for a non-patriarchal society that rejects violence, homophobia and any gender-based discrimination.