Society is frequently talking about masculinity and how it's 'in crisis'. But how helpful are these debates? Can masculinity be reshaped as 'positive' or 'healthy' - and should that really be our focus? In a challenging new paper – 'Positive humanity, when? Is masculinity worth saving?' – Dr Finn Mackay argues that policy aimed at saving men and alleviating men’s suffering does not address their humanity, but is erroneously focused on 'saving' masculinity. Instead, Finn believes we should aspire to be positive, healthy people and equal human beings, without needing to have our identities as men reinforced. Rather than recycling tired biological essentialism, Finn concludes "it is time for men and women to start acting like we really believe we are not separate spheres, but on the same planet, with the same needs for love and care, the same need to matter to our communities, the same need for life". Finn advocates for a radical feminist analysis, arguing that it offers positive solutions to the problems all of us face - including men and boys.

The episode discusses Finn’s 2021 book ‘Female Masculinities and the Gender Wars: The Politics of Sex’. Based on research they conducted on lesbian and queer masculinities in the UK, they explore the challenges and obstacles facing those who do not fit into strict boxes of sex and gender. This is particularly topical given the recent ruling by the UK Supreme Court that the terms "woman" and "sex" in the Equality Act 2010 refer only to "biological women" and "biological sex". Decrying the widespread scapegoating and demonising of trans people, Finn argues that trans people have become easy targets for regressive gender conservatism.

Finn ends by talking movingly about their personal journey from growing up in rural Scotland, to living at women's peace camps outside military bases, and the impact that feminism – especially radical feminism – has had on their life.

Finn is a senior lecturer in Sociology at the University of the West of England, and they have a long history of feminist research and activism. Prior to academia, Finn was involved in education and youth work on issues including domestic violence prevention and anti-bullying. In 2004, they founded the London Feminist Network, and revived the tradition of London Reclaim the Night. Their previous book 'Radical Feminism: Feminist Activism in Movement' (2015) set out a pioneering feminist manifesto analysing the reasons for women’s oppression and what feminist activism must do to counter it.

• Finn's personal website: https://www.drfinnmackay.co.uk
• UWE profile: https://people.uwe.ac.uk/Person/FinnMackay
• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/finnfox.bsky.social
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finn-mackay-87a593345/
• ‘Positive humanity, when?’ paper: https://doi.org/10.1080/09589236.2025.2502679
• ‘Radical Feminism’ book: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137363589
• ‘Female Masculinities’ book:

Why do men still benefit from higher pay, status, and power at work? What is the ideological and cultural underpinning that sustains the gendered division of labour? What are the harmful effects of workplace inequality on poverty, health, family life and women’s status? These are some of the key issues that Professor Cordelia Fine addresses in her witty and insightful new book ‘Patriarchy Inc.: What We Get Wrong About Gender Equality and Why Men Still Win at Work’, which is listed as one of the non-fiction books to read this year by the UK Financial Times.

In our discussion, Cordelia draws on a wealth of evidence to explain how ‘Patriarchy Inc.’ operates, and how progress in dismantling unequal gender arrangements is stymied by two false visions: the ‘Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI)’ approach, and the ‘Different but Equal’ perspective. Instead, she argues for a set of commonsense reforms which would benefit everyone. These include reorientating societies and workplaces around the assumption that most workers will have caring responsibilities; setting aside definitions of job ‘fit’ and success that exclude women and other marginalised groups; and addressing how the gender system is embedded in childhood.

We also explore some of the themes from her earlier book, Testosterone Rex, which won the Royal Society Science Book Prize. The book challenges the powerful myth that men and women have evolved fundamentally different natures, and that testosterone is responsible for ‘hard-wiring’ male brains to, for example, take risks, compete, and be violent. We conclude by discussing her motivations and influences as a writer, and the role of humour in her work.

Cordelia is Professor in the History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Melbourne. She was awarded the prestigious 2018 Edinburgh Medal for her work challenging gender bias in science, and was recently named as a living legend by The Australian newspaper.

• Buy the book: https://atlantic-books.co.uk/book/patriarchy-inc/ (UK) https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/books/9781838953355 (Aus)
• Cordelia’s website: https://www.cordelia-fine.com
• Her University of Melbourne profile: https://findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/profile/126041-cordelia-fine
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cordelia-fine-240773250/

Episode timeline

• Intro
• Why Cordelia wanted to write ‘Patriarchy Inc.’ (03:49-08:01)
• Why she takes issue with the ‘Different but Equal’ perspective (08:01-15:30)
• Why the ‘DEI’ approach is also insufficient (15:30-27:06)
• What her ‘Patriarchy Inc.’ approach adds (27:06-33:42)
• How we can foster genuine equality in the workplace and society (33:42-42:41)
• Break
• ‘Testosterone Rex’ and why men’s violence can’t be reduced to biology (42:52-50:55)
• Fatherhood and why Patriarchy Inc. doesn't work for any of us (50:55-52:12)
• The use of humour in writing (52:12-55:38)
• What led Cordelia into researching the science of sex and gender (55:38-01:00:13)
• Conclusion [The nuances of DEI, Progress being non-linear, The role of trade unions, Capitalism and fatherhood, Valuing care] (01:00:22-01:06:49)

Discussions about masculinity and violence against women have exploded into the spotlight, not least because of the widely-watched Netflix drama ‘Adolescence’. More and more men are asking: Why is ending this violence an issue for me? What can I do to be part of the solution? How can I overcome the barriers holding me back from taking action, such as feelings of defensiveness? These are some of the pressing questions leading anti-violence educator and scholar-activist Dr Jackson Katz addresses in his timely new book, 'Every Man: Why Violence Against Women is a Men’s Issue, and How You Can Make a Difference'.

In this episode, Jackson sets out the case for men’s involvement, and essential tools to help us contribute to preventing violence against women: from how to respond when a friend or colleague expresses misogynistic views, to changing the culture among our peers, to developing positive leadership among men on this issue.

We also discuss ‘Adolescence’ and its impact on, and implications for, parents, teachers, police officers and other key figures and institutions in young men’s (and women’s) lives.

We conclude by revisiting the political situation in the US, and how men are responding to the backward-looking narratives coming from figures like President Trump and Vice-President JD Vance about what ‘real men’ should be like.

Jackson is an American educator, speaker and writer internationally renowned for his groundbreaking work on issues of gender, race, and violence. His TEDx Talk 'Violence against women - it's a men's issue' has been watched 5.5 million+ times. He co-founded the pioneering gender violence prevention programme, Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP), which was the first large-scale prevention initiative in sports culture and all branches of the US military, and has been rolled out in schools across the US and parts of the UK.

Jackson’s book ‘Every Man’ is now available in the UK through Penguin, and will be published in the US by Bloomsbury in Sept 2025: https://www.penguin.com.au/books/every-man-9780241672662

• Find out more about Jackson’s work: https://www.jacksonkatz.com
• His writing for Ms Magazine: https://msmagazine.com/author/jkatz/
• Follow him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackson-katz-ph-d-b7785b3/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacksontkatz
• Watch his TEDx Talk, ‘Violence against women – It’s a men's issue’: https://youtu.be/KTvSfeCRxe8

Episode timeline:

• Introduction
• Jackson’s views on ‘Adolescence’ and its impact (02:26-06:53)
• Showing the series in schools (06:53-10:11)
• Why Jackson wrote ‘Every Man’, and the difficulties of getting a book on this topic published (10:11-14:52)
• Why men might respond defensively, and how to move past that (14:52-20:52)
• The positive impacts of feminism on Jackson’s own life (20:52-27:29)
• Break
• The bystander approach and what it looks in practice (27:36-35:26)
• Its use in settings such as the military, and a different kind of leadership (35:26-43:52)
• Masculinity in the Trump 2.0 presidency, and signs of resistance (43:52-53:47)
• Why men need to face our fears of being ‘unmanned’ (53:47-56:54)
• Conclusion [The lessons of...