“Stereotypes about masculinity run deep”

The Männerbüro Region Basel advises men on their roles and responsibilities in life. In this interview, Managing Director Florian Weissenbacher explains which services are the focus and what challenges are involved. And why the range is being expanded.

Changes have taken place at the Men’s Office. Where does the men’s office stand today?
There was a complete change of personnel at the beginning of 2023. I took over the management in June 2023. We first had to find each other as a team and stabilize the office, which I think we did well. We have noticed that we are conducting more process consultations. And we are in the process of expanding the range. One example is men’s counseling in a retirement home. There, we hold group discussions with the residents on specific, prepared topics and then offer counseling sessions on a variety of topics of our own.

What changes have there been on the Management Board?
It was important that Markus Theunert, who has a great deal of experience in men’s work, was added to the Executive Board. One focus here is certainly men’s work in terms of gender equality. In other words, the feminist discourse has brought to light many unpleasant, sometimes dysfunctional behaviors that many men exhibit. We want to tackle these.

Can you give examples?
This applies, for example, to the behavior of men in couple relationships. Equal opportunities should be practiced here for the benefit of both. The woman does not have to look after the children, nor does the man have to generate the main income. All the negative statistics in which men are in first place are also striking. Although women attempt suicide more frequently, men commit suicide more often. We die earlier, have more cardiovascular diseases, cause more car accidents with fatal consequences, lead every crime statistic and are more frequently cared for in special school settings and measures during childhood.

How can the Men’s Office change this?
All of this cannot simply be attributed to gender, but also has to do with socialization. We want to offer men who are no longer satisfied with their social or personal status low-threshold access and support in their own change processes.

What are your general areas of responsibility?
This includes advising men on male-specific topics such as work-life balance, fatherhood, changing roles and images of masculinity. The focus is still on separation and personal contact with one’s own children after separation or divorce. However, these subject areas are large. As mentioned, we would like to open up. For many men, the inhibition threshold for coming to the men’s office is still too high. A fathers’ morning, information evenings and workshops are being planned.

What do you think of the discussion about masculinity and stereotypes?
The discourse is politicized, which is a double-edged sword. A major challenge here is that society receives few positive examples of masculinity and sees these exemplified in public. The negative examples take up a lot of space in shaping the image of masculinity and stereotypes. Masculinity is too often associated with toxicity. Social media play an important role in this. Unfortunately, disoriented young men receive more support and orientation from dominance-based and toxic behaviors than from other behaviors. Stereotypes run deep and it takes a lot of time and movement to rethink and live them. Shame naturally plays a central role here.

What other hurdles do you face in your work?
One challenge I experience in the discussion about masculinity is that it is often conducted in a judgmental way. A lot of energy is lost if we have to explain at length right at the beginning why we stand up for men and that this has nothing to do with an anti-feminist stance or automatically with toxicity.

What are your strengths?
We are well positioned to provide specialist and procedural advice on all aspects of child protection and when the KESB is involved. They have a lot of experience and knowledge. The same applies to counselling during and after various crises, i.e. when stabilization is required. We also exemplify different role models of masculinity and help clients to reflect on their images.

How do you define the cooperation between the Men’s Office and Opferhilfe beider Basel? Where do you see interfaces?
The interface is of course provided by your department, which focuses on men and boys. What they have in common are the themes surrounding masculinity. It is important for me to mention that we men should not think in isolation. They are part of one or more systems in which they have to find their way on a daily basis. Changes in one person can lead to resistance in the system and thus to more problems. Accordingly, the client’s living environment must be taken into account.

Where is there a clear demarcation from OHbB?
The Victim Assistance Act forms a boundary. You are the experts for victims. We motivate victims of violence to make use of the counseling services provided by Victim Support. We experience the cooperation as constructive and goal-oriented. I experience both institutions as very client-centered.

Where do you see potential for development in the collaboration?
Joint information evenings on men-specific topics would certainly be exciting. This would bring together a great deal of knowledge from which the public could benefit.