Why my son wears pink

At two year's old, Penni F's son happily enthuses over both fairies and trucks. But, she worries, what happens when pressure to be a 'real man' kicks in?

Published: 19 August 2008 | Written by Penni F

Knife crime and masculinity

Forget single mums and absent fathers - the current spate of knife crime can be traced back to the so-called 'real man', argues Jennifer Drew

Published: 18 July 2008 | Written by Jennifer Drew

Men! Feminism needs you! (Not your privilege...)

Anne Onne dispenses some advice for men commenting on feminist websites and blogs

Published: 14 June 2008 | Written by Anne Onne

Cartoon special...

In a break from our usual text-based programming, a selection of cartoons on the theme of men and women, by Yvonne Howard

Published: 9 June 2008 | Written by Yvonne Howard

Are women and girls vulnerable?

Violent men do not attack girls or women because they are 'vulnerable', argues Jennifer Drew, and it deflects attention from the perpetrators to pretend otherwise

Published: 19 May 2008 | Written by Jennifer Drew

The Oxbridge sex workers

Laurie Penny considers why so many Oxbridge students are going into prostitution and stripping, and the impact the media coverage of their stories has on women in less privileged positions

Published: 11 May 2008 | Written by Laurie Penny

The epidemic of male violence against women

A spate of convictions has put femicide into the headlines again. But, as Jennifer Drew reports, the media is still blaming women - and ignoring 'everyday' incidents of male violence against women

Published: 6 April 2008 | Written by Jennifer Drew

Walking on eggshells

Approaching men on the street and asking them to undress and be photographed can be frightening - and highlights the struggle for women to find equality. Alex Brew explains

Published: 2 April 2008 | Written by Alex Brew

Why men should care about gender stereotypes

Alex Gibson considers the harm done by stereotypes of men as beer-swilling, emotionally-stunted brutes

Published: 2 February 2008 | Written by Alex Gibson

Filling the hole

The self-hating mindset, if not the medical condition, of anorexia is frighteningly common, argues Katie Muller

Published: 6 December 2007 | Written by Katie Muller

Does 'gender neutral' language serve to cover up male violence?

Gender-neutral language applies to male criminals, but not to their female victims, argues Jennifer Drew

Published: 3 December 2007 | Written by Jennifer Drew

How many lesbians does it take to sell a t-shirt?

Girl-on-girl action may be marketing gold, but has little benefit for actual lesbians, argues Joanna Whitehead

Published: 4 November 2007 | Written by Joanna Whitehead

From 'oy sexy' to 'frigid bitch' in 30 seconds

The odd wolf whistle might seem flattering, says Abi M, but catcalling and street harassment can easily turn into something more threatening

Published: 31 October 2007 | Written by Abi M

Maid of the manor

Despite all our advances, men still dominate public life. But if they are so smart, asks Amity Reed, why can't they fathom how to do the housework?

Published: 30 August 2007 | Written by Amity Reed

The farmer wants a wife, the wife wants a wife

Women don't want to be lumbered with the housework, but men aren't willing to pick up the bucket and mop. Right? JC Sutcliffe asks why women perpetuate the myth that men are incapable of doing domestic chores

Published: 29 March 2007 | Written by JC Sutcliffe

Suffering in Silence

One woman's story of street harassment turned George Mason from anti-feminist to women's rights advocate. Now, he urges more women to speak out about their experiences

Published: 1 March 2007 | Written by George Mason

Pretending That Men Aren't Grown-Ups

Ellery takes issue with a Times article entitled "Pretending That Women Aren't Grown-Ups", which said that women should change their behaviour to prevent being raped. Ellery argues that that expecting women to take responsibility for rapists' actions is a double standard which sees men as irrational brutes and rape as a fact of life.

Published: 12 February 2006 | Written by Ellery

Deconstructing Masculinity

Sheryl Plant argues that masculinity needs to be questioned and critiqued just as much as the concept of femininity; only then can male violence be fully addressed.

Published: 11 February 2006 | Written by Sheryl Plant

Who's The Man?

Is masculinity simply "natural" or - like femininity - is it essentially performance? Holly Combe addresses this question and more as she reports on her first time at a Drag King workshop, and shares the results with The F Word.

Published: 1 August 2005 | Written by Holly Combe

Why men suck (and the women who have to)

When teaching English in Cambodia, a country with a pervasive, exploitative sex industry, Laura Carr was shocked to discover that almost all her western male friends were happy to participate.

Published: 17 September 2004 | Written by Laura Carr

Every Girl Wants a Stalker

Films, pop songs and mainstream popular culture all push the same message: that men must pursue women to ridiculous extremes, even if the attention is unwanted. Yet if women pursue men, they are seen as desperate, needy, and sad. Rachel E exposes the double standard.

Published: 1 August 2004 | Written by Rachel E

Why It's time for the 'battle of the sexes' to end

Lad culture has done nothing more than perpetuate petty hatred between the sexes. Enough is enough, says Laura Baldwin.

Published: 20 July 2004 | Written by Laura Baldwin

A Perfect Delusion

What effect are men's magazines having on men's views of women and heterosexual relationships? Samantha Lyster thinks men who fall for the magazines' propaganda about women are setting themselves up for a fall.

Published: 19 April 2004 | Written by Samantha Lyster

Body Language Speaks Volumes

Reading feminist research on the subject of non-verbal behaviour was a revelation to Anna Sandfield. Here she explains how women and men's subconscious body language (touching, sitting, even smiling) can reinforce gender roles - without even being aware of it.

Published: 19 October 2003 | Written by Anna Sandfield

Sexual Healing

Ben Thurgood wonders why the feminist concept of equality in sex hasn't entered into the mainstream - after all, equality is just common sense, surely?

Published: 19 September 2003 | Written by Ben Thurgood

'Feminists are Sexist'

Should feminists have to spend exactly half their time, energy, and resources working on behalf of men to be taken seriously? Catherine Redfern thinks not.

Published: 19 September 2003 | Written by Catherine Redfern

Real Men Drink Pints

Andrew Bowden goes searching for a Father's Day gift that doesn't involve socks, football, beer, DIY or Homer Simpson.

Published: 16 June 2003 | Written by Bods

Walking with Cavemen

Alex couldn't believe what she was reading in a recent issue of Cosmopolitan as they called for a return of the "caveman"

Published: 18 May 2003 | Written by Alex

Men in feminism

Few men seem interested in feminism. Lizzie Garcha asks how we can encourage more of them to realise that feminism benefits everyone.

Published: 18 May 2003 | Written by Lizzie Garcha

25 Burning Questions

Holly Combe answers the questions men are "too embarassed to ask"

Published: 16 April 2003 | Written by Holly Combe

Smug Intentions: Richard and Judy on Chivalry

Holly Combe examines the hidden motives behind the calls for a return to chivalry. When Richard and Judy joined the debate recently, did they really have anything constructive to add?

Published: 16 February 2003 | Written by Holly Combe

Get Mad

Jamie Lee Merrick gets mad mad mad after reading an anti-feminist website. Here's her furious response.

Published: 16 October 2002 | Written by Jamie Lee Merrick

Bend Over Girls - he's in Freak Mode

Society needs to stop thinking of men as slaves to their sexual urges, argues Holly Combe. She examines the damaging common idea that, once aroused, men become an unstoppable force that it would be rude - even immoral - to try to stop.

Published: 16 September 2002 | Written by Holly Combe

Enough with the pendulum!

There are two phrases guaranteed to make me cringe. One of them is anything involving the pendulum; you know the one that's always "swung too far the other way"?

Published: 16 October 2001 | Written by Catherine Redfern

Reply to Nigel Planer

"Men are now in crisis... since the seventies, the pendulum has swung castratingly far in the other direction." wrote Nigel Planer in The Radio Times in June. Jen Clarke responds.

Published: 13 July 2001 | Written by Jen Clarke