This past March was a turning point for the feminist movement, when Ipsos reported that for
the first time, 60% of Gen Z men across 31 countries believe that “women’s equality” programs now discriminate against men (1). But rather than softening their approach, feminists appear to be increasing the intensity of their accusations of “patriarchal oppression” (2).
Indeed, the feminist movement has seen a number of major setbacks in recent weeks:
1. In connection with Parental Alienation Awareness Day on April 25, three public figures in the United Kingdom made public statements affirming the harmful effects of parental alienation. These statements debunked the global feminist campaign to discredit the epidemic of parental alienation as “pseudo-science” (3).
2. At the United Nations, feminists saw a stunning defeat in early May as countries blocked activist attempts to include mention of abortion and sexual rights in a declaration adopted by the UN Commission on Population and Development (4).
3. In Canada, commentator Janice Fiamengo just published a stunning report, When Feminism is Child Abuse. The document presents numerous examples of feminist mothers who severely abused their male children, simply on account of their sex. Fiamengo laments how, “Often the hatred of maleness is overt.” (5)
In response, feminist activists increasingly are resorting to disinformation tactics, especially in the arena of domestic violence. Ignoring the hundreds of studies that show women are equally likely as men to be abusive (6), feminists continue to push the implausible myth that only men can be violent.
Australia provides an example where once the research points to the gender symmetry of domestic violence cases (7). Recently the Australian Institute of Criminology reported on a 30-year decline in intimate partner domestic homicides: “The female intimate partner homicide rate decreased overall by two-thirds (66 per cent) in the 34-year period between 1989-90 and 2022-23.”
But Australian feminists ignored the good news. Instead, they launched a scare campaign that recalled the hysteria surrounding the American era of lynching-on-demand. One front page newspaper article shrieked ungrammatically, “HOW WE STOP THIS KID BECOMING A MONSTER: Call for DV lessons at all schools to address the menace of toxic masculinity.” (8)
Thoughtful media accounts refused to bow to the feminist narrative. TV commentator Damian Coory described the hysteria-mongering as, “good old-fashioned man-hatred.” Coory went to urge, “folks, it simply must stop. The fact is, the data simply doesn’t support the narrative being pushed by the left-wing media and bureaucrats and activists.” (9)
Commentator Bettina Arndt deplored the “usual false claims of an epidemic of violence being used to fuel anti-male hatred.” She summed up the situation this way: “Every day this mob thinks of new ways of making lives miserable for men and boys.” (10)
So, the global feminist movement is now facing a moment of truth. Will it descend even further into the depths of hatred and hysteria? Or will it reverse course to restore its good reputation and standing around the world?
The Domestic Abuse and Violence International Alliance – DAVIA — consists of 144 member organizations from 35 countries in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America, and North America. DAVIA seeks to ensure that domestic violence and abuse polices are science-based, family-affirming, and sex-inclusive. http://endtodv.org/davia/