Masculinities and Social Change (Sep 2023)
New Father a Male Ally-ship in Women Movement: Effects of Digital Feminism in Reshaping Patriarchal Behaviour
Abstract
The study examines the involvement of men in the women's movement in Pakistan, which is a patriarchal society. The interviews with progressive men and women, who are actively engaged in the feminist movement in Pakistan reveal the changing dynamics of family structure in Pakistan, and discussed the emerging role of the liberal father as male allyship in women's emancipation and eliminating gender inequalities. The study discusses the effects of digital feminism in Pakistan in involving men in the women's movement as bridging social capital, producing responsible behavior among men, and challenging patriarchy through new fathers. In a patriarchal society, where the dominancy of the father is blindly followed, digital feminism is now altering the father's rule into male allies, producing a concept of new a father, which is challenging the patriarchal notions of masculinity and hegemony. The new father is a symbol of a new dominant figure, who is responsible and transforming the domestic patriarchy, to maintain equality at home and would bring change to the social structure at large.
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