Third Congress of Men to Address Discrimination Concerns

The upcoming third Congress of Men in Warsaw is set to ignite debate, continuing a tradition that began in 2024. As reported by Rzeczpospolita, this event, inspired by the well-established Women's Congress, aims to highlight and address the specific challenges and inequalities faced by men in contemporary Polish society. Unlike its predecessor, the Congress of Men has consistently stirred discussion, particularly around its very name and purpose.

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We draw inspiration from how women's organizations can organize and fight for their causes.

Organizers, like Dr. Michał Gulczyński, have emphasized that the congress is not about pitting genders against each other but about focusing on tangible problems and seeking solutions. This approach aims to differentiate itself from potential escalations of conflict, as suggested by some commentators like Professor Magdalena Środa. Her remarks, questioning why men hold most global wealth and perform less unpaid labor, highlight the differing perspectives on gender equality discourse.

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The Congress of Men should, together with the Congress of Women, 'free the world from patriarchy' and address questions like 'how is it that 99% of world wealth belongs to men?' and 'why do women perform more than two-thirds of unpaid work in the world?'

Gulczyński, a proponent of addressing male-specific issues, points to research such as the 2021 "Przemilczane nierówności" (Unspoken Inequalities) report. This report, co-authored by Gulczyński, brought attention to disparities in education, where boys reportedly underperform compared to girls, potentially due to an education system not fully adapted to their needs and the feminization of the teaching profession. The report also notes significantly lower rates of higher education completion among men compared to women.

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We will not follow Professor Środa's path of escalating conflicts between women and men. We are not competing over which gender has it worse. We focus on real problems and solutions.

Furthermore, the congress agenda touches upon professional life, with statistics indicating that men are disproportionately affected by fatal accidents in certain sectors. This focus on male-specific issues, often overlooked in broader gender equality discussions, is what makes the Congress of Men a unique and vital platform from a Polish perspective. It seeks to foster a more nuanced understanding of gender dynamics, acknowledging that both men and women face distinct challenges that warrant attention and action.

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Boys achieve worse results in education than girls, which may result from the education system not being adapted to the needs of boys, as well as the feminization of the teaching profession.