Boys receive – and absorb – harmful stereotypical messages about what it takes to “be a man” from an early age. 72% of young men in the US say they have been told that a real man behaves in a “certain way” – they are self-sufficient, tough, stoic, attractive without effort, a risk-taker, and straight. If boys embrace these ideas, it can have long-term impacts: they may be less likely to have close, emotionally connected relationships; and more likely to have poorer mental health and use violence later in life.

We all have a role to play in creating a gender equal, nonviolent future. We need all adults, including parents – and father in particular – to model vulnerability, connection, and respectful relationships.