Men get boost toward 'equality'

By Helen Humriehouser Men are not good parents. Men must be wage earners.

Men don't show strong emotions. Men are always rational.

Men are never afraid.

Men always have answers.

Men are strong

mentally,

competitively.

because they rationalize that it should be all right.

"The competitiveness siveness

aggres-

that is trained into men even shows up in speech patterns. If one man in a group tells a story, everybody else has to top it."

As the committee discussed these things with other professionals men and women and

physically,

emotionally

If you are about to say "Hogwash!" there is a group of professionals here who agree with you.

Last fall a group of educators, physicians, counselors and clergy met to identify male concerns and needs that are not being met here.

They concluded the male role is as stereotyped as the one females have been fighting and "the male is a high-stress crisis client.

They formed an ad hoc Male Concerns Committee of professionals and laymen to deal with the needs and changes in basic institutions and role perceptions to aid the modern male in his adjustment.

James Leehan, an organizer of the committee, said:

"We are concerned about the effects role stereotyping is having on men. It's what you might call the flip side of women's lib.

"We believe what women's lib is saying should not be a threat to me. Instead, it should bring some positive spin-offs," said Leehan. He is a University Christian Movement campus minister at Cleveland State and Case Western Réserve universities.

The stereotyping is a result of the socialization process, he said: "It's more or less drummed into everyone. If a little boy falls down, it's 'Don't cry.' If a little girl falls down, it's 'Are you hurt?' It follows through in almost all phases of living.

"For instance it ought to be all. right for men to have close male friends and show warm emotions. But they have such a great fear of being considered homosexual if they display their emotions, they are restrained even with close male friends."

In speaking of male relationships with children, Leehan said it is generally considered men do a rather poor job as parents.

"If you are a woman," he said, "the first thing you learn is how to be a good mother; if you work, the job is secondary.

"For men, it's the other way around. First of all, men must be good wage earners."

Men should be able to cry a little, he said: "But, they can't do it just

it was learned professionals also are influenced by this conditioning, he said. To counteract it, they sponsored a "Neglected Male" workshop for professionals.

This Saturday in conjunction with the Singles Dimensions conference at Bond Court Hotel, the Male Concerns committee will have workshops titled "The Single Male A Neglected Identity." The morning session will be for singles, the afternoon for professionals.

Leehan; Dr. James Peterson, professor of social services at CSU; Mary Butcher, social worker at Services for Young Families, and Maxine Pollack, a school psychologist, will conduct the workshops.

The singles conference is under the auspices of the Continuing Education Department of CWRU. For information call 368-2274.