Why we celebrate International Men’s Day, and how to do it right

November 19 marks International Men’s Day. Here’s why this day is celebrated and the theme for this year.

International Men’s Day is here, but while International Women’s Day is well-known, not many are aware about the former.

International Men’s Day was inaugurated by Thomas Oaster in 1992 and conceived a year earlier. It was revived by Dr Jerome Teelucksingh, a history lecturer at University of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago, in 1999. He chose to host it on November 19 to mark his father’s birthday and celebrate how on that date in 1989 Trinidad and Tobago’s soccer team had united the country to qualify for the soccer world cup.

Rather than just being a day to celebrate a gender, Dr Teelucksingh promoted International Men’s Day as a day to reflect on issues affecting men and boys. It also coincides with Movember where men avoid shaving and grow moustaches to raise money for men’s health.

International Men’s Day includes campaigns that focus on men’s/boys’ health, improving gender relations, promoting gender equality, and highlighting male role models. For 2018, the theme is “Positive Male Role Models”.