Contemporary British Feminism: Opening the Door to Men?

Abstract

In the UK, the ‘second wave’ feminist movement, which began in the 1960s, was largely a women's movement. In contrast, recent feminist mobilisations have included a growing number of mixed-gender feminist groups, although the role of men in feminism remains controversial. This research, based on qualitative interviews with members of four mixed-gender feminist groups in England, investigates the views of some contemporary feminists on men's relationship to feminism. The research explores activists' rationale for including men in feminism, their beliefs about the role that men should play in the movement and their views on women-only spaces. It identifies three models of men's participation in feminism and suggests that activists' views about men in feminism may be underpinned by particular understandings of feminism, gendered power relations and specific concepts such as equality. It also situates contemporary feminist beliefs and practices in the wider sociopolitical context, arguing that the decision to include men in feminist activities may be a response to a ‘postfeminist’ context characterised by ambivalence towards feminism.