Gary Barker, president and chief executive of Equimundo , a global nonprofit focused on redefining masculinity in a positive way, is our Lead Dad of the Week.
Barker, who was a guest on our podcast last year, is a Lead Dad to his daughter and wife in Washington, D.C.. But he’s also leading other dads – and men in general – into a new narrative focused on bringing men together in positive ways.
This week, he kicked off an action session in Washington, D.C., around Equimundo’s State of American Men 2023 survey.
The results weren’t entirely encouraging – top line: young men are particularly vulnerable to and in many cases being seduced by the lure of darker, more retrograde, and often misogynistic views of masculinity.
The discussion and action items, which will be released later, focused on strategies to combat this and to be a counternarrative focused on a different, positive and more realistic version of men as #husbands, #fathers, and #caregivers.
What was the takeaway? It’s not going to be easy to change the status quo, but there’s a lot to be hopeful for. It’s a campaign that’s not just worthy but essential at a deeply polarized time.
Thank you, Gary and Equimundo for your leadership in shaping a world that is more equitable and accepting of men and women as workers, caregivers, and multifaceted people.
Read the survey: https://www.equimundo.org/resources/state-of-american-men/
