International Men’s Day – 19th November 2020
We have heard of International Women’s Day observed to celebrate women. On similar lines, the world recognizes the importance of men in society, their contributions and prominence. International Men’s Day is celebrated on November 19th annually. The globally celebrated International Men’s Day works on three essential agendas to raise the bar on social awareness of men’s health issues, equality factors between men and women and finally promoting good relations between the genders.
International Men’s Day is a unique celebration of the male species, a celebration of men and the masculine gender. The well being of men is significant for a healthy, functional society. Striking a balance between men and women effectively creates a global community that lives and thrives with happiness. This article is an excellent read-up on International Men’s Day 2020, and we discuss important aspects regarding its history, significance, themes, celebrations and FAQs.
History of International Men’s Day
There are several theories attached to the first and foremost celebration of International Men’s day. Some sources claim that the opening celebrations were started in the year 1992 by Thomas Oaster. Oaster was working towards the challenges and issues men face in society, and thus he came up with the concept of celebrating International Men’s Day every year on November 19th. Another claim has it that the first celebration was observed in 1999 by Dr Jerome Teelucksingh in Trinidad, Tobago. Dr Jerome was working as a lecturer in history at the University of West Indies.
He chose November 19th as the day for celebration in memory of his dad, whose birthday fell on the same date. Few other claims report that Trinidad and Tobago had an ultimate win in soccer in the year 1989 on November 19th. So to highlight the boys’ achievement which not just restricted to the sport but united both Trinidad and Tobago is celebrated as the International Men’s Day.
The first-ever calls for celebrating the international men’s day began as early as the year 1960 when many men started fielding questions on the observance of international women’s day alone. The issues centred on the absence of gender equality and therefore, an event for the recognition of men started doing the rounds.
Here, it’s noteworthy to be reminded that an Indian woman gave a significant part of International Men’s Day celebrations a head begin by name, Uma Challa. Mrs Challa is an Indian advocate and also a doting mother of two children. She spun a widespread party exclusively for the men community in the year 2007. This served as a significant impetus for International Men’s Day celebrations globally.
She is also the founding member of an NGO that helps men claim justice in cases that serve against the interests of the male community. Often, with or without an offence committed by the male members, they are subjected to unwarranted torture. This mostly happens because our society primarily suspects culprits of being men before putting the lens on women. This led Mrs Challa to head her dream foundation named “Save the Indian family foundation”.
Importance of International Men’s Day
Men are known to be silent sufferers in a world where social issues are predominantly associated with the womenfolk. The society is famously anti-male, given the higher preference to the female folk in matters of social injustice and abuse. There have been many cases where males are oppressed in situations where they do not fault their own.
Instead, society declares them as culprits because of the sole reason that they are susceptible to be alleged in most such cases. In other angles, the depression rate amongst men is far higher than that of females. Global statistics have reported very high rates of depression and suicide cases amongst the male folks as compared to the female folks.
The world still keeps their wondering lens on with questions hitting them about the need to celebrate a particular day for men. Men need all the support they deserve to form better relations with their female counterparts. Men have diverse qualities in them. The present generation men do not believe in gender bias when to come to sharing work with their partners.
They choose to manage their career and at the same time, offer a helping hand at their homes too. They look after their children and lend their support in preparing food as well as keeping the family together. Men are, therefore, vital forces that garner crucial decisions for the well being of the entire family.
International Men’s Day 2020 Themes
All themes centred on International Men’s Day relate to the menfolk. It is a day to celebrate positivity of the male bastion and the following themes over the years are sure to replicate the vibrations:
- 2011 had a lively theme with “Giving boys the best possible start in life”.
- 2012 focused on health aspects with the theme “helping men and boys live longer, happier and healthier lives”.
- 2013 chose to focus on the safety of men with its theme “keeping men and boys safe”.
- 2014 brought the distinction between men and boys to a fine line with “Working together for men and boys”.
- 2015 put the anvil on male reproduction issues with its theme titled “Working to expand reproductive options for men”.
- 2019 spread a new refreshed theme titled “Making a difference for men and boys”.
- 2020 is awaiting a dominant theme to resonate the message broadcasted last year.
Celebrations of International Men’s Day 2020
International’s men day is celebrated in more than 70 big countries worldwide. Some popular forms of celebrations include:
- Media dedicating a particular day for the coverage of men’s importance and achievements.
- Activities focusing on creating awareness on men’s health. Gender equality, law and justice impairments in case of men, and men role models in society, the importance of positive reinforcement in men, depression and mental ailments in men.
- Meetings to discuss the mindset of society in an anti-male setup.
- Workshops to improve the physical and mental health of men.
- All-male gatherings to discuss social abuse of men and combat issues like drug addiction, alcoholism and suicide prevention.
Conclusion
The society is still regressive to the needs of men. Men are usually perceived to be loud and outgoing. When it comes to displaying emotions, men are expected to hide their feelings and put up a show of courage no matter what. This internally brings them down, causing depression and creating suicidal thoughts. Men are known to be a precious asset to society. They bring in a significant difference to people around them.
They should be encouraged to have open talks and spend more time with their families. Having conversations about topics that concern them would go a long way in aiding their mental health.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is International Men’s Day?
International Men’s day is an annual celebration of men’s importance in society and is held on November 19th every year.
2. Why do we celebrate Men’s Day?
Men’s day is celebrated to raise awareness of men’s issues and promote gender equality and better relations. The society is generally very partial to the female folk and usually insensitive to the needs of men; hence a particular day is dedicated to their needs too.
3. When was the first International Men’s Day?
The first-ever recognized celebrations of International’s men day was in 1992 by Thomas Oaster.