Why Men Talk! ?
So far, women have played an important role in putting gender equality on the agenda. However, gender equality cannot be reached without the male part of society. Men (and those who associate as men) are agents of change to transform patriarchal masculinities and play an important role in supporting equality. Creating a safe space for men to talk and learn from each other is necessary. Furthermore, as concluded by the KNAW (2022), the way to move forward in creating social safety at universities is to talk a lot more about what is desirable in how we interact with each other. Therefore, the WO&MEN@VU network initiated Men Talk!. Jeroen Geurts, our rector magnificus, highly supports the initiative. He attended the second Men Talk! on 5 July 2022.
Do you identify as a man and do you think gender equality is important? Then please come to the sixth edition of Men Talk! on 31 October 2023, 3.30-5 pm, 3D. Send an email to women@vu.nl to register.
What is Men Talk! ?
Men Talk! is a men-only courageous conversation about how we can create and maintain a balanced and safe environment at the VU. Participants talk about issues, gender roles, and what is nature, what is nurture. We address questions like: How do you see your role in contributing to a pleasant, gender-equal working and studying environment at VU? What do men need to be able to contribute? What kind of man would you like to be? How to include gender equality in VU policies, education and research, now and in the future? In short: an inspiring conversation how the male half of the VU community wants to shape gender diversity and change manners within VU.
Men Talk! is initiated by the WO&MEN@VU network, that strives for gender equality and would like to involve men in achieving this goal. For this, WO&MEN@VU involved Emancipator, an organization for men and emancipation. Men Talk! is led by Jens van Tricht, founder of Emancipator and author of 'Why Feminism is Good for Men'. See also this interview in Ad Valvas.
Men Talk! will conclude with drinks at 5 pm in 3D when female colleagues and students are welcome.
For whom?
Male students, PhD students, teachers, researchers, professors, policy makers, supporting staff, all are warmly invited to join the discussion. So far Men Talk! has attracted a relatively diverse group, both academic and non-academic staff, with different seniority and from different departments, both men who have joined before and first timers. We also want to include the non-Dutch speaking community of VU in the conversation. If there are English speaking participants, the session will be in English, otherwise it will be in Dutch. Female colleagues and students are welcome during the drinks to continue the discussion.
Part of a broader sustainable movement
This is already the sixth Men Talk!. By organizing Men Talk! on a structural basis, WO&MEN@VU makes it a sustainable topic on the VU agenda. Involving men in gender equality is part of a broader international movement called MenEngage.