Most level-headed feminists today will acknowledge that the patriarchy and rigid sex roles hurt men as well, though I personally feel it's not as severe. I'm not sure it matters who is hurt most by gender norms, etc. Harm is harm and we should all fight together.
I do think many feminists say sexism toward men does not exist. They don't say this because they believe no one dislikes men. They say it because the term "sexism" implies that the group doing the oppression has institutional power and women have no institutional power, as a whole. Mostly, men run the world. They generally refer to hate directed at men as prejudice, but it doesn't matter. Both are unacceptable. And, often, that game is just semantics.
Yay for men being freed from gender restrictions as well. Part of my own feminism includes an interest in liberating men from that oppression as well. It may not be the same as women's oppression, but it's important.
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Most level-headed feminists today will acknowledge that the patriarchy and rigid sex roles hurt men as well, though I personally feel it's not as severe. I'm not sure it matters who is hurt most by gender norms, etc. Harm is harm and we should all fight together.
I do think many feminists say sexism toward men does not exist. They don't say this because they believe no one dislikes men. They say it because the term "sexism" implies that the group doing the oppression has institutional power and women have no institutional power, as a whole. Mostly, men run the world. They generally refer to hate directed at men as prejudice, but it doesn't matter. Both are unacceptable. And, often, that game is just semantics.
Yay for men being freed from gender restrictions as well. Part of my own feminism includes an interest in liberating men from that oppression as well. It may not be the same as women's oppression, but it's important.