International Men’s Day.. What do you know about the event that targets equality with women?

November 19 of each year is the date of the global celebration of men. It is a day that suffers from marginalization because it does not receive international recognition like other international days.

This day aims to appreciate the role of men in the family and society, and improve the distorted stereotype about men, according to the official website of International Men’s Day.

Al-Shorouk reviews the story behind the establishment of this international day and the values ​​it seeks to establish.

A legacy of the Cold War

The first calls for International Men’s Day began in the 1960s during the height of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. At the time, American journalist John Harris criticized Women’s Day in the Soviet Union, considering that socialism had failed to achieve gender equality, and suggested devoting a day to men who work hard for the state, similar to women who celebrate their day in March.

Calls for an International Men’s Day continued into the 1970s, with a publicity campaign led by John Harris, a journalist for the American newspaper Selena, according to the New York Times.

According to the Kansas Stream website, the first actual attempt to establish an International Men’s Day came in 1991 by the American academic Thomas Auster, and 1992 witnessed the first ceremony to celebrate this day.

February 9 was initially chosen as an occasion to celebrate, coinciding with the Russian Red Army’s celebration, a day proposed to be equivalent to Women’s Day in the Soviet Union.

However, the occasion was not popular in most countries, with the exception of Malta, which continued to celebrate it, according to the Kansas Stream website. Later, the date was changed to November 19 thanks to the efforts of Jerome Thieloxing from Trinidad, who revived the idea.

Caribbean Stream reported that Teeloxing chose this date because it was his father’s birthday, and it also coincided with the match in which the Trinidad soccer team qualified for the World Cup, which brought the people together to support their country.

6 pillars

International Men’s Day is based on six basic pillars, the most prominent of which is combating discrimination against men, whether in laws or in societal mental images that are sometimes biased against them.

Today, it is also concerned with supporting men’s mental health, strengthening their relationship with women, and ensuring equal rights between the sexes.

International Men’s Day encourages working middle-class men and celebrates their role in family, society and marital life.