Sylvana Versteege

As journalist Hanna Rosin already argued in 2009, women have adapted more successfully to our current society. During a holiday, she spoke with a man who had fallen out of society’s view and, according to her, discovered an “enormous economic and cultural shift,” in which both women and men must adjust to a completely new way of living together, working, and even falling in love, so she wrote in the introduction to The End of Men.

And now it appears that something is indeed going on with young men. They are falling behind in areas such as employment, education, and relationships. These are valid issues that deserve attention. However, what we are seeing is that in the absence of that attention, many men turn to alternative role models, often finding their way into the so-called manosphere. There, a largely outdated version of gender roles is promoted, in which women are not equal to, or are positioned below, men. We must prevent the solution to the “male crisis” from becoming the problem or blame of women, and instead encourage men to emancipate themselves. Men are next in line, but how do they take that turn? And how do we ensure that they do?

Now It’s Men’s Turn is a campaign designed with exactly this goal in mind: encouraging men to take their turn. Being “up next” is rarely comfortable, and it is often difficult to know where to begin. The campaign starts with a call for attention, then makes the case for change, and ultimately translates that conversation into a series of interview-based discussion cards that men can use at home.

Because before change can happen, we need to be able to talk about it. By creating space for reflection and dialogue, the campaign aims to help men take ownership of their own emancipation and actively shape the role they want to play in a changing society.

Now it is men’s turn is a campaign designed with this goal in mind: ensuring that men take their turn. Having your turn is often not pleasant, and even more often it is difficult to know where to begin. The campaign starts with a call for attention, then advocates for change, and through interviews develops conversation cards that men can use at home. In order to change, we must first be able to talk about it. In this way, men can actively guide their own emancipation.