CULTURE & TRAVEL
Sovereign Magazine
Through the Camera lens: By Elaine Pringle-Schwitter
Y
ou know, if a man wrote this article it would probably be called mansplaining and then it would be ignored, possibly laughed at, disparaged and thereafter we would move merrily on - not fully addressing the content within. So yes dare I say it, I am using my advantages as a woman to write this article and believe that someone will read it. If enough people empathise, a change will take place; and the gender balance, the real gender balance that is being sought will actually happen. I am talking about the other side of the gender equality coin men’s issues. Men who feel disenfranchised, powerless, trapped, labelled even and invisible. If I say gender bias most, the majority will overwhelming believe I am talking about women and the rights for women. Actually, no. This article is about the hidden and often untold stories of the struggle that men are faced today here in Switzerland and across the western world - but currently it is not voguish to discuss or highlight this, even when we have clear statistics that show men, in particular divorced men are 10 times more likely to commit suicide than women. There is a slow but sure movement for men, a silent march, to have their concerned recognised and addressed. Mainstream media has predominately concentrated and headline the women’s movement and rightly so. Yes, there have been disparity, unfairness and bias towards genders. This is also applicable to men but many of us, me included, did not see it and are not seeing it. My eyes have been opened and now I’m writing about it. Contrary to popular belief, discussing men’s issues is not about denigrating the female movement or ensuring that their posi-
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