Men in Feminism: A Self-Determination Perspective and Goals for the Future

Men can make important contributions to gender equality, but a variety of obstacles impede their engagement with feminism. In this paper, we propose a Self-Determination (Ryan & Deci, 2000) approach to supporting men’s feminist engagement. We argue that men are more likely to engage with feminism more consistently and effectively if they internalize feminist goals and incorporate them into their sense of self, i.e., if they develop autonomous motivation. We argue, further, that men are more likely to develop autonomous motivation if their engagement with feminism satisfies basic psychological needs for autonomy, relatedness, and competence. We suggest a variety of strategies to meet these needs, among them: framing feminism as a men’s issue, considering men’s viewpoints and values, portraying feminism as consistent with gender and masculine norms, encouraging positive interactions with feminist women, and presenting other feminist men as role models and mentors. According to bell hooks (1984), “...sexism and sexist oppression, they can only be successfully eradicated if men are compelled to assume responsibility for transforming their consciousness and the consciousness of society as a whole” (p. 81). Our paper applies Self-Determination Theory (Ryan & Deci, 2000) to encourage men to do so.