INTERNATIONAL Men’s Day is observed annually on November 19 to promote gender equality and to reflect on the contributions, sacrifices and progress made by men in society. It also looks at several areas in which men can contribute in terms of parenting and being positive role models to the younger generation. The Day is relatively new and certainly not as popular as International Women’s Day, even though its importance to society cannot be downplayed.

The theme of this year’s International Men’s Day observances is ‘Better relations between men and women”. This theme is most relevant at a time when there is an increase in the level of domestic violence in Guyana and for that matter the world at large. And even though women are generally at the receiving end when it comes to domestic violence and spousal abuse, there are also several men who are victims of domestic abuse, a significant number of which remain buried under the sand, due mainly to cultural and societal factors.

The key to a stronger society is better relations between men and women. And even though historically, a woman’s place is said to be in the home, much of that has changed over the decades and women have now taken up leadership roles which transcend the narrow confines of home and family. Women today are more empowered, especially in terms of education attainment levels which makes them much more competitive on the job market, Women in Guyana already dominate some aspects of the job market such as teaching, nursing and the public service. Indeed, the situation has now evolved to a point where there are now references to new concepts such as ‘male marginalisation’ and ‘male spousal abuse’. Males are less likely to report cases of abuse because of cultural reasons and also out of a perception that the laws tend to be more lenient towards the opposite sex.

Men generally are regarded as the “stronger” sex but the records show that they are more likely to commit suicide than women. According to data released by the Minister of Human Services and Social Security Dr. Vindhya Persaud, 605 men took their lives from 2016-2021 compared to 171 women during the same period. And when taken together with the fact that women in Guyana outlive men by an average of five years, the perception of women as a weaker sex is all the more debatable if not controversial.

Yet the importance of men to the development of society cannot be overstated. We live in what is still perceived to be a “man’s world” and the vast majority of decision-makers at the political, executive and legislative levels continue to be men, even though that is now incrementally changing.

What is needed is not a debate on men versus women’s empowerment but a situation in which there is shared responsibility to family, and by extension, societal development. The role of men as bread winners and women as caregivers is no longer applicable to modern societies and men will have to, as it were, step up to the plate and take up much greater roles in terms of emotional, spiritual and other forms of support. And even though men are still expected to be the main economic provider to meet family needs, the creation of new economic opportunities for women have reduced that dependency on men as the main, and in some cases only, source of financial support.

Guyana has made significant strides in terms of both male and female empowerment and with new and growing economic opportunities and greater access to education opportunities, the gender gap is gradually closing and women are becoming much more involved in national life. This, however, is not an indication of any diminishing role of men in society. It is about partnering with, and sharing the ‘burden’ of development with the full cohort of the available labor force of which women are now an integral part.