Rewriting the masculine script

In a moment when women are being empowered to speak out against powerful male abusers, we wonder: what would it take to rewrite the rules about masculinity? How do you change a culture that says men aren't supposed to express their emotions or be close to other men? Perhaps it involves starting young.

In preparation for this conversation, MPR News' Bob Collins wrote a blog post that asked readers to comment on their own experiences raising boys in a hyper-masculine culture. One reader wrote:

I don't have children of my own but I see the struggle my brother went through without a male figure growing up. I know my mother tried her best to help fill that void, but unfortunately for him it wasn't enough. And it has been a struggle for him to figure out on his own what being a man meant and took cues from all sorts of sources. I think he is a good man but it has taken years to get to the point where I feel confident saying that.

Writer Andrew Reiner, and Ted Bunch, co-founder of A Call to Men joined guest host Jana Shortal, in for Kerri Miller, for a conversation on redefining masculinity.

Use the audio player above to hear the full segment.