Fathers on low-incomes and young fathers are often portrayed in media and politics as ‘feckless’ and ‘failing’. Father absence is blamed for a wide range of social problems, including crime, antisocial behaviour, and poor educational outcomes. These discourses have intensified in the UK in recent months with renewed assertions about a ‘crisis of masculinity’. However, Professor Anna Tarrant’s research over many years demonstrates that most fathers, including those who are young or experiencing poverty, very much want to care for their children. Yet they face numerous structural challenges in doing so, such as a lack of secure jobs, suitable housing, or welfare support, and being sidelined by services who may see them as inherently ‘risky’. Young fathers in particular (as with young mothers) are frequently presented as a ‘social problem’.

Anna’s research challenges these unhelpful stereotypes, shining a light on the ways in which many young men and working-class fathers (as well as grandfathers, uncles, brothers, and other family members) are engaging in love and caregiving, with transformative impacts on them, their children, and their partners. She discusses what changes need to happen for policies and services to become more ‘father-inclusive’ without undermining vital support for mothers, and why this is good for gender equality and for society as a whole.

Anna Tarrant is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Lincoln, a UKRI (UK Research and Innovation) Future Leaders Fellow, and Director of the Centre for Innovation in Fatherhood and Family Research. She is currently the Director of the UKRI-funded Future Leaders Fellowship study, 'Following Young Fathers Further'. She has written three books:

• The Dynamics of Young Fatherhood (with Bren Neale, Policy Press, 2024)
• Men, Families and Poverty (with Kahryn Hughes, Palgrave Macmillan, 2023)
• Fathering and Poverty: Uncovering Men's Family Participation in Low Income Families (Policy Press, 2021)
• Follow Anna on LinkedIn
• Anna is also the Director of the Father-Inclusion Hub

She is also co-editor, with Linzi Ladlow and Laura Way, of the book ‘Men and Welfare’ (Routledge, 2022), in which Sandy and Stephen have a chapter on ‘Men, work, and care in the UK in the wake of COVID-19’.

Episode timeline

• Intro
• Notions of a ‘crisis of masculinity’ due to fatherlessness (02:59-08:17)
• Obstacles low-income fathers face (08:17-11:12)
• Lack of housing (11:12-13:21)
• Why young fathers are constructed as a ‘social problem’ (13:21-17:27)
• Barriers to services engaging with fathers (17:27-22:12)
• Break
• How gender norms influence societal perceptions of fathers (22:22-25:10)
• Working with fathers who have been abusive (25:10-28:50)
• What a father-inclusive approach looks like...

How have young feminists challenged the patriarchal culture of South Korea in recent times? How are young men reacting to the upsurge in support for feminist ideas and activism? What is the background to the dramatic conflict around gender and masculinity in the country the last few years, and how might it be resolved?

Please note: This episode includes discussion about sexual violence.

On 3rd December 2024, a huge political upheaval took place which drew global attention when President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law. But this only lasted six hours as opposition lawmakers managed to get past the police and military, gain entry to the Assembly, and pass a resolution to lift it. Young women in the so-called “cheering light brigade” and the “kisses squad” played a key part in the pro-democracy movement that grew to impeach the President, staying out in public squares in freezing temperatures to demonstrate.

These events followed a long-standing backlash against gender equality in South Korea, and the gains for women’s rights made since the 1980s. Three years of Yoon’s Presidency led to a dramatic roll-back on hard-won gender equality policies. He pledged to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, withdrew plans for a non-consensual sex law, undermined safe abortion service, and removed funding for sexuality and human rights education.

These regressive moves reflect the rise of Manosphere communities over the past decade, fuelling men’s grievances against feminism and legitimising men’s violence against women in South Korea. Whilst the country leads the world in internet connectivity and hi-tech innovation, anti-feminist online spaces have become breeding grounds for various forms of digital crime, such as spy cameras in public toilets and deepfake pornography. So how have feminists been responding to this, how can solidarity be built among men and women amidst these divisions, and what lessons does this provide for gender equality advocates around the world?

Our guest is Myoung Ryoon Kim (better known as Goldie). She’s an educator in the prevention of gender-based violence and an activist for gender equality. A graduate of Kyung-Hee University, Goldie has held numerous positions in South Korean NGOs working on gender issues over the past 30 years. In 2025, she became the Director of GOMA (Gender Justice Organisation for More Action) Korea, and is one of the founders and current co-coordinator of K-MEN (the newly-formed Korean MenEngage Network). She talks honestly about her personal experience of gender violence, how she became involved in this struggle, and how she maintains her motivation to continue through such difficult times.

Episode timeline

• Intro
• The social position of women in South Korea today (02:49-06:14)
• Femicide and the Gangnam Station Exit 10 Murder Case (06:14-09:58)
• ‘Soranet’ and men’s violence against women online (09:58-15:29)
• The rise of the Manosphere and tech-facilitated abuse in South Korea (15:29-20:47)
• The ‘Feminist Reboot’ that has emerged in response (20:47-25:26)
• Break
• Reversals in gender equality under President Suk Yeol Yoon (25:35-28:25)
• Yoon’s masculinist attempt to impose martial law (28:25-31:04)
• The pro-democracy movement led by young women (31:04-35:33)
• Support for right-wing politicians among some...

Is masculinity ‘under attack’, and are boys increasingly ‘lost’? How valid are concerns about boys’ and young men’s achievement in education? What is the impact on them – and girls and young women – of the rise of the Manosphere and right-wing populism? In this episode, Prof Steven Roberts argues that the picture is much more complicated than is often presented, with, for instance, mixed effects on different racial and class groups. He challenges the pervasive narrative that tells young men gender equality threatens their positions and that traditional gender norms must be reasserted, arguing that this backward-looking approach feeds a sense of ‘manufactured outrage’ and ‘instructed victimhood’ among men and boys.

Instead, he stresses the need for an alternative discourse which embraces gender equality, builds on the under-recognised positive changes taking place in (working-class) masculinity, and provides a more hopeful vision. He suggests, for instance, that many young working-class men find ways to adapt to the shifting labour market, working in sectors which are not seen as traditionally masculine such as retail and care, and forging more complex masculine identities as a result.

Drawing on his research with Dr Stephanie Wescott in schools, Steven highlights the impact of sexist and misogynistic behaviour among young men influenced by the Manosphere and the complicity and responsibility of schools, and what they should do to promote gender-based violence prevention and early intervention work and develop wider school culture, norms, and leadership.

Steven also talks movingly about the sustained violence and controlling behaviour he experienced from men when growing up, the impact on his work and life, and his remarkable transition to being an academic. He draws attention to the wider implications, including, for example, how the significance and prevalence of men’s violence is often downplayed, and the importance of breaking men’s silence on this issue.

Steven is a Professor of Sociology in the School of Social Sciences at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. He has published numerous journal articles, (co-)authored three books, and edited six more about changes and continuities in boys and men's masculinity practices, and inequalities in young people’s transitions to adulthood. Steven makes regular contributions to the media and other forms of public discussion. He writes frequently, for example, for the ABC, the Conversation and Women’s Agenda, and has appeared in a raft of media outlets in print, TV and radio nationally and internationally.

• Steven’s profile
• LinkedIn

Episode timeline

• Intro
• The play Inter Alia (00:41-03:35)
• What drew Steven to working on masculinity (03:35-05:59)
• What made Steven share his experiences of men’s violence (05:59-08:43)
• Encouraging other men to share their stories (08:43-10:37)
• Sexism and misogyny in schools today (10:37-15:52)
• Where boys are learning this behaviour from (15:52-20:17)
• Manufactured outrage around young men being ‘under attack’ (20:17-23:34)
• The masculinist politics of ‘protecting the nation’ (23:34-28:06)
• The relationship between class, race, and the rise of the far-right (28:06-32:54)
• Changing the discourse around boys and young men (32:54-36:36)
• Break
• The limitations of narratives about boys’ performance at school (36:46-41:22)
• Wellbeing struggles among both girls and boys...