By Dr Heather Jeffrey
Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham Dubai
In 1995, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action made women’s empowerment a central topic worldwide. Now 30 years later, the United Nations will be releasing reports reviewing progress ahead of International Women’s Day on the 8th of March. Disappointingly, a recent Channel 4 report reveals concerning attitudes among young men: 45% believe that “we have gone so far in promoting women’s equality that we are discriminating against men,” only 36% agree that “feminism has done more good than harm,” and 47% believe “masculinity is under attack”. Many educators seek to introduce and improve gender equality in their classes and disciplinary areas, but these statistics demand we rethink how – how do we challenge beliefs that equality of women necessarily means a loss for men?
Changing narratives around equality
These perspectives reflect a “zero-sum” mentality—the perception that women’s gains necessarily come at men’s expense.
This suggests a failure in how equality narratives have been communicated and a failure in economic systems that historically value market-based activities (traditionally male-dominated) while devaluing care work (predominantly performed by women). When equality is framed as taking from one group to give to another, resistance becomes inevitable.
More focus on gender education
In my 2017 research, I documented manifestations of this resistance when introducing gender perspectives into tourism curricula. Using “gender mainstreaming” (integrating gender throughout all content), I encountered substantial pushback. During a discussion of leadership in heritage, when female students suggested curatorial roles were predominantly male (skewing displayed artefacts toward a male gaze), one male student emphatically declared “a woman’s place is in the home,” igniting heated conflict.
Student evaluations following this module included accusations of bias against men, with some claiming I “hated men.” This reaction wasn’t merely about content but about how threatened some students felt by challenging traditional perspectives. Most had received no previous gender education (teaching and learning about gender-related topics, concepts, and issues integrated into a subject or delivered as a standalone subject),creating an uneven foundation for discussions.
Through trial and error, I developed more effective approaches. In a second module, I employed “gender specialising”—dedicating specific sessions to gender rather than integrating it throughout. This created space for foundational understanding before critique.
Using Laura Bates’ TEDx talk on Everyday Sexism proved particularly effective. The statistical evidence that no country has achieved gender equality prompted audible gasps from students. Avoiding the term “feminism” initially and focusing on concrete inequalities helped engage students with negative associations with the label. By the end of one session, nearly all students identified as feminists—showing how pedagogical approach can dramatically shift perspectives.
Male role models and feminist allies
Interestingly, male feminist educators often face less resistance than female counterparts. When male academics champion gender equality, students perceive them as “young and hip” rather than biased. This points to a critical need for male role models who demonstrate that supporting gender equality doesn’t threaten masculine identity. Male allies can help dismantle the zero-sum perception by showing how feminism benefits men by challenging restrictive gender norms.
Addressing cultural differences
My recent work in transnational higher education has revealed crucial dimensions often overlooked in Western-centric approaches. A student once told me: “I don’t read white feminists because they don’t help me go home to my Indian mum and dad”—highlighting the tension between global education models and students’ lived realities across multiple cultural contexts.
Forum theatre, adapted from Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed, has proven effective in these settings. This participatory method allows students to enact gender dilemmas within their own cultural frameworks rather than imposing Western perspectives.
The Channel 4 findings should be understood through this intersectional lens. Young men from diverse backgrounds may feel doubly alienated—both by traditional gender expectations within their communities and by feminist discourse that doesn’t acknowledge their specific contexts.
The future of feminist education
The failure to bring everyone along reflects in part a communication problem. When equality is framed as advancement for all rather than advancement for some at others’ expense, resistance diminishes. In educational settings, this means acknowledging concerns about changing gender roles, using evidence to challenge misperceptions, highlighting how rigid norms harm everyone, creating dialogue rather than debate, and employing male allies who model feminist allyship without threatening masculine identity.
Society is moving towards gender equality in principle. Our challenge as educators is bridging the gap between abstract support and lived reality, particularly for young men who perceive equality as a threat rather than an opportunity. By addressing the zero-sum fallacy directly, we can work towards a more equitable future—one classroom conversation at a time.
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The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Birmingham.