Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

International Men's Day 2017: 3 Fast Facts

International Men's Day 2017: 3 Fast Facts

Though on the surface it may sound like International Men’s Day is a day in which men receive a collective ego boost, the root and purpose of the holiday is actually a lot deeper than that. The focus is certainly on men around the world, specifically promoting positive male role models and quelling negative gender stereotypes, but the underlying cause is an attempt to mend the rift in gender relations and rectify faults in gender equality.


Appreciating the importance of International Men’s Day may require an understanding of the root of the holiday along with the many issues that affect men and young adults across the world.

The First International Men’s Day

International Men’s Day was conceptualized by Thomas Oaster, director of the Missouri Center for Men’s Studies at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Held initially on Feb. 8, 1991, the holiday was eventually moved to Nov. 19 in 1999 by Dr. Jerome Teelucksingh after several years of inactivity.

Teelucksingh, who worked at the University of the West Indies at the Families in Action headquarters in Newtown, Port of Spain, revitalized interest in International Men’s Day after realizing “there was no day for men” and recognizing a need to put positive male role models in the spotlight.

International Men’s Day Receives Feminist Support

Though there are rather vocal feminists that will outwardly decry International Men’s Day, it’s not a blanket dismissal supported by all female figures. The University of Surrey’s Feminist Society hosted an event in 2016 asking “What is feminism’s role in tackling men’s issues?” The presentation focused on sexual violence against men, depression and suicide and the steps that could be taken to address the issues.

Additionally, University of York student Ruth Morris combated 200 feminists that lobbied for the holiday to be cancelled with a petition of over 4,000 signatures that agreed that “true feminists should be fighting for gender equality for both men and women.”

Statistics Working Against Men

International Men’s Day aims to bring to the spotlight the many issues that men deal with as a means of bridging the gender gap. According to the International Men’s Day website, the average life expectancy of men at birth is 69 years compared to 74 years for females.

Worldwide, men also account for 95% of work place fatalities and 99% of combat deaths. The International Men's Day site also states that men are three times more likely to commit suicide than women and boys are more likely to suffer in school.

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

More from Trending

Mary Kate Cornett; Pat McAfee
NBC; Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Ole Miss Student Slams ESPN Host For Spreading Baseless Rumor She Slept With Boyfriend's Dad

Ole Miss freshman Mary Kate Cornett is speaking out about how a salacious rumor amplified by ESPN's Pat McAfee has "ruined" life—and she has a pointed message for McAfee himself.

Cornett says she has been viciously harassed online and in person since McAfee spread a rumor on his show that she slept with her boyfriend's father.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

MAGA Rages After Trump Looks More Orange On CNN Than On Fox News In Viral Clip

Orange you being too sensitive there, conservatives?

The MAGA cult was in an uproar over a recent juxtaposition of clips from CNN and Fox News' identical coverage of Republican President Donald Trump's announcement of the sweeping global tariffs that sent the U.S. stock market plummeting.

Keep ReadingShow less
'Proud Soy Boy' Vegetarian Rips Florida Over Their Proposed Fluoride Ban In Epic Speech
The Florida Channel/Florida's Voice News

'Proud Soy Boy' Vegetarian Rips Florida Over Their Proposed Fluoride Ban In Epic Speech

The term "Florida Man" carries certain connotations. Often it involves out-of-control behavior of a criminal variety.

But a 6'5" man testifying about the dangers of the right's war on woke isn't usually what comes to mind.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of J.D. Vance
Fox News

Vance Cites ‘Traffic Violations’ To Help Justify Sending Migrant Dad To El Salvador Prison

Vice President J.D. Vance was criticized after he doubled down on his insistence that a Maryland father who was accidentally deported to an El Salvadorian prison due to an "administrative error" was a criminal, justifying the move—much to the anger of social media users—because the man had "traffic violations" that warranted his removal.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national who arrived in the U.S. in 2012, was labeled a threat in 2019 due to an alleged connection to the MS-13 gang. He spent months in detention before an immigration judge found he had a credible fear of persecution—not from MS-13, but from a rival group, Barrio 18, which he said had been extorting his family.

Keep ReadingShow less
Notebook with notes
Corina Rainer/Unsplash

Restaurant Health Inspectors Describe The Most Disgusting Thing They've Ever Seen

We all have our favorite restaurants where we visit to celebrate special occasions, to go on dates, and share with work colleagues.

It all has to do with the combination of the fantastic food, pleasant atmosphere, and exceptional service.

Keep ReadingShow less