Karen Ingala Smith: On men's violence and inequality between men and women

All men benefit from inequality between women and men. This doesn’t mean that some women are not in more advantageous positions than some men. It doesn’t mean all men are the same. It doesn’t mean that all women are the same. It doesn’t mean that sex is the only important basis for inequality. It doesn’t mean that everyone wants it to be that way.

Men’s violence against women is a cause and consequence of inequality between women and men. It doesn’t have to be that way. If enough of us decide to do things differently we can change the world. Men don’t have to be violent, towards women or other men. Men can end male violence if enough of them want to. The thing is, this won’t happen if too many men – and/or women – refuse to see that men’s violence is a problem. The changes that will reduce men’s violence against women will also reduce men’s violence against other men, they will probably also reduce women’s violence.

I want to see an end to men’s violence against women. What this means is “I want to see an end to men’s violence against women.” It doesn’t mean that I do not care about other forms of violence. It doesn’t mean that I do not feel any compassion towards male victims of violence. It doesn’t mean that I don’t care or that I celebrate if men are killed – and that is true whether they’re killed by a woman, or, as is more likely, by another man.