Man 2 Man Forum Looks at Marriage and Men’s Roles

Topics that affect women are usually what make it to the fore of roundtable discussions, but today there was a shift in that focus to men. It falls in tandem on November nineteenth with International Men’s Day, which will bear the theme: Better Relations between Men and Women. At the core of the discourse are the roles men play in the family unit and that very sensitive issue of being actively involved in the lives of their children. One of the leaders in today’s forum was member of the National Parenting Task Force, Arthur Usher.

Arthur Usher, Member of the National Parenting Task Force

“Previously we did the Fathers’ Day forum which again speaks to custody of children and rape, and now for International Men’s Day, which is November nineteenth, we’re also bringing the man-to-man talk, which will deal now with the marriage act and how men interact with the law and how they can better adjust to make that connection with their families.”

Duane Moody

“How important is it to see men come forward to talk because the reality is that men have often times been seen just as a support and maybe not as the authoritarian – the one that controls the family.”

Arthur Usher

Arthur Usher

“Some of those dynamics have been changing over the years, in terms of – we do have the concept that yes, the man is still the head of the household. Now what that means is that from household to household that varies, and so we also have to look at general principles that we want men to adhere to, which is some of our basic biological strengths, but also our needs – psychological and emotional needs – that the family and children need. So, you can bring the money into the family but in order to have a really strong family relationship, you need that emotional and psychological support.  The custody law was one very tedious discussion – the same concept. They felt that the law is against them; there’s no benefit in going to court. And what our presenter did, Mr. (Dale) Cayetano, he broke it down and showed the plus and the minus for men. Now from that previous Fathers’ Day discussion, there were some main questions that the men had. So, we’re opening today with bringing back those questions and showing them this is what the law says.”