The Ministry of Human Services and Social Security yesterday held ‘engageMENt’, an event to observe International Men’s Day 2021.
International Men’s Day 2021 was observed under the theme “Better relations between men and women”, and the event, held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, at Liliendaal, saw panel discussions on masculinity, shared responsibilities, men’s health and wellbeing, among other activities.
Prime Minister Mark Phillips, who was in attendance, said that keeping in mind this year’s theme, it is clear that men need to stay abreast with the changes of the world. He said that men always take the role of the protector while the women stay home and take responsibility of the home. However, the reality is that it is a world where women are contributing to the home not only through background and emotional stability, but also by means of finance. The PM said that men who are left behind are men who are unwilling to accept this change and share responsibility. “The now situation is that we have women who are involved in all things in life,” he said, adding, that these women are ministers and even presidents in some countries. In addition to all the professions, they still engage in bringing up children, cooking, and maintaining the house,” the PM further said.
He noted that it is an expansion of duties and that men have to take over those responsibilities that were once deemed a lady’s duties and “chip in.”
“For men who are still behind, get on board with the shared responsibility,” the PM urged. He also noted that there are men who are pursuing degrees but are not stopping to consider that their partner might want to also pursue these degrees. He said that women aren’t denied opportunities but they are refused it because the role they might want to play is not considered. He said that men need to get comfortable with the women taking on the responsibilities that were once theirs and take the assistance. They must also offer the same help with taking on the responsibilities like combing their daughter’s hair and managing the home, he added.
In addition, he said men must be open to sharing emotional distress with their partner for emotional stability. He noted that men have been taught to be the tougher gender and that this has led them to believe that vulnerability is a weakness. He said that self-care for men needs to be addressed and they need to be open to tackling their feelings and talking about it with their partner. Phillips said that men turn to alcoholism rather than discussing their struggles with friends and family and that it is not a healthy coping mechanism.
The Human Services and Social Security Minister Dr Vindhya Persaud remarked, “I believe it is a wonderful thing to be able to share experiences, recognition and do so centered around some of the most important issues…The most important one at this time being sharing responsibility. Where men understand what we mean by sharing responsibility and where they can participate in the responsibility fields that can be something as helpful as doing the dishes, washing clothes.” She acknowledged that men have many struggles and that between 2016 and 2020, 605 men took their own lives and it is an opportune time to discuss men’s health. In addition, there is also gender-based violence, which has to be addressed. The minister opined that the things men experience as children are the influences that shape them in today’s world.
During the panel discussions, the panelists spoke about the challenges faced by men and informed that the Human Services and Social Security Ministry has programmes that can be used to engage men and help them to overcome the difficulties faced.
The event also saw men exhibiting their culinary skills, with meals prepared by chefs and others not known for their skills in the kitchen. These included Jeremy Garrett and Kerwin Clarke, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Davin Rajkumar, Philip Fernandes, Roy Jaffarally and Michael Ignatius.
They prepared various dishes, including duck curry, buttered shrimp and fried rice, cassareep shrimp and fried rice and cauliflower rice. When asked about the dish he chose, Sarwan, who prepared the cauliflower rice, said it is a very healthy dish. Rajkumar, who prepared the duck curry, noted that it is one of the most popular and tasty dishes.
In addition to the cooking segment the event also featured games and karaoke, which were all performed by men.
