Save young boys from crisis
THE EDITOR, Madam:
OUR MALES are in a crisis, and with an education system that is broken, not much has been done in order to provide them with the necessary tools to equip them to become contributing members of the society. The lack of empowerment of boys and young men continues to have negative and debilitating consequences. Whose responsibility it is to save our young males from the crisis they find themselves in? Is this the responsibility of the family, which, for the most part, is also in a crisis? There’s a high percentage of single female-headed households. Even in some instances where men are around, the females are the ones who ensure the family stays a float. In other words, the Jamaican family is dysfunctional. The family itself is seeking redemption. In the absence of male role models, boys have incorporated a toxic version of masculinity which, among other things, promotes the objectification of the female body.
An article published by the American Journal on Preventative Medicine stated that teenage boys with more progressive views of gender are half as likely to engage in violent behaviour as their peers with rigid views about masculinity and gender. There is common saying that violence begets violence.
According to Zilbergeld (1992), by the age of six or seven, most of the important lessons in male socialisation have been learnt; hence the urgency to act. What boys learn about sex and manhood becomes a critical treatment concern when they reach adulthood and are faced with sexual dysfunction resulting from a disability or illness.
We need to inf use conflict resolution in the National Standards Curriculum, in order to provide our boys with the necessary skill sets to cope with conflicts. Our young men need to learn from early that walking away from a relationship which is not working out is the right thing to do. There needs to be more spaces for males to vent and support each other in times of crisis. The State machinery has a responsibility to spearhead these initiatives. It appears that in an attempt to protect our girls and women, we have forgotten about our boys and young men and the society is paying dearly for this. We need to have more open discussion on masculinity and gender. There is an urgent need to incorporate the teaching of gender and development studies from as early as the primary level. However, there must be a reform of the current education system which undervalues the issues males’ experience. Education reform refers to systematic and intentional changes and improvements made to the educational system to address identified challenges, enhance learning outcomes, and promote equitable and effective education for all students. The powers that be are aware of these issues, let us see what they will do to rectify same.