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It’s been 30 years since the Beijing Declaration on Women, a landmark agreement to empower women and girls.

“The Beijing declaration was such an incredible moment to say that enough is enough. Women are half of humanity and we have to be better,” says Lata Narayanaswamy, associate professor at the School of Politics and International Studies at the University of Leeds.

But now, some governments are rolling back women’s rights. Humanitarian programmes that help women and girls are being cut.

“During his first presidential term, Trump vetoed a new resolution proposed under the UN Women, Peace and Security agenda because it enshrined the right of women to their reproductive rights,” says Leandra Bias from the Institute of Political Science at the University of Bern. 

What’s happening? Support for vulnerable women is being cut, and toxic masculinity is growing. The UN is worried.

“I am concerned about the resurgence in some quarters of toxic ideas about masculinity and efforts to glorify gender stereotypes, especially among young men,” said UN human rights commissioner Volker Türk. 

This week Inside Geneva asks what toxic masculinity actually means. Is it even new?

“What worries me about the language of toxic masculinity is that it’s like, ‘Oh my God, we didn’t know this was coming.’ But it’s actually just a continuity of how violence and patriarchy combine,” says Narayanaswamy. 

Is there a connection between toxic masculinity and the repression of women? Are both now identifiers for authoritarian regimes?

“‘We are the tough guys, we are actually the proper nations, while look at Europe, they have been completely emasculated and therefore they are not a model to aspire to.’ Therefore, democracy is also not a model to aspire to,” says Bias. 

Join host Imogen Foulkes on Inside Geneva to listen to the full episode. 

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Host: Imogen Foulkes
Production assitant: Claire-Marie Germain
Distribution: Sara Pasino
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