Welcome to the Men's Rights Information Page

The Men's Rights Movement (MRM) is a loose term for the collective activities of people who feel that men are not being treated equally by society. Not all of the disparate groups who fight for the rights of men associate themselves with the MRM, since there is no formal definition of the MRM. However, it is clear that there is a growing movement fighting for the rights of male individuals and fathers in countries such as Canada, the USA, the UK, Australia and New Zealand. The rapid growth in the number of blogs, websites and organizations devoted to these topics sends a clear message that this isn't a small issue that is going to just go away on its own.

This site was created to provide basic information about the Men's Rights Movement and to point newcomers to the many resources available online.


What are the focal topics of the Men's Right's Movement?

Custody Discrimination and Father's Rights - The family court systems western societies regularly discriminate against men during custody proceedings, such that fathers are not given appropriate shared custody of their kids. It goes so far that, in many areas, women are given the sole option to choose to legally surrender their child, and the father is not considered as a potential parent over unrelated adoptive parents. Additionally, male victims of statutory rape can be made to pay child support for children born of the criminal act. In addition, alimony and child support payments are often unreasonably high, and are slow if they ever reflect changes in income due to occupation/economy changes. (1)

Legal Discrimination - There is a large sentencing disparity between men (especially males of a visible minority) and women for similar crimes. Often times women are given suspended sentences in situations where men would not be shown leniency. The primary example for this is statutory rape cases. Members of the MRM do not wish to make laws more lenient for men, but rather wish to open a dialogue to find a more fair and equitable solution that treats such cases independently of gender. (1)

Education Discrimination - While there was massive social outcry over a previously perceived education gap for young girls in science and math, there is little social concern over the growing education gap for males. Young boys are being outpaced and disregarded in terms of literacy rates, which has a huge effect on overall learning ability in all subjects. Additionally, women have made massive leaps in post-secondary enrollment rates, and now significantly outnumber men in most post-secondary institutions. While female specific scholarship plans were implemented to support women in post-secondary education, no such programs are being implemented to now encourage men, and no plans are in place to repeal the no-longer-necessary female-centric scholarship programs. (1) (2)

Prevalence of Male Genital Mutilation - Female genital mutilation has been outlawed in all western societies, though it still remain in practice in some African and Islamic nations. However, no similar legal intervention has occurred for male genital mutilation, commonly referred to as circumcision. While there may be religious reasons to promote male genital mutilation (Judeo-Christian), there is little medical support for the elective procedure. Additionally, the risk of complications, from disfigurement to death, is indicative that this practice should also be outlawed in western cultures. (1) (2) (3)

False accusations - The traditional protection for people accused of crimes is shrinking for men in western societies, which means that men are becoming increasingly prone to the problem of false accusations. Additionally, widespread media coverage that names-and-shames the accused means that even innocent people who are accused of crimes will suffer significant consequences. Many within the MRM believe that it is important to re-establish the principles upon which the legal system was founded (i.e. innocent before proven guilty rather than guilty until proven innocent). (1) (2) (3)

Suicide Rates - According to the World Health Organization men commit suicide roughly three times more frequently than women. (1)

Vilification - Men are regularly vilified and demeaned, both in the media and by feminist and government groups. The primary example of this is the widespread belief that men are the only gender capable of committing domestic violence, which comes with the corollary belief that women who do commit domestic violence are simply defending or empowering themselves. (1)

Workplace Deaths - An overwhelming majority (92% in the United States) of workplace deaths happen to men. (1)

Homelessness - Men make up the majority of the homeless population. (1)

A comprehensive list of issues behind the Men's Rights Movement can be found at A Voice For Men.

Please see the sidebar for links to additional reading material.