I recently went through a whole "debate" on my Uni facebook page about how the feminist group at my university had cajoled the University into giving them a women's only space (or individuals identifying as women). When I questioned them on the need for such a space the usual babble came out:

  • To escape from the male "gaze"
  • For breastfeeding mothers
  • As a space to organize women's rights awareness

I replied that 'gaze' went both ways, and that breastfeeding mothers already had parents rooms to use. Using an entire room for organising awareness is equally ridiculous.

My point throughout was not that men deserved an equal space, but that neither needed such a space - and indeed, by causing segregation, this room was anti-equality and demeaned/demonised men.

I posted the issue on my University's principal Frontpage, and the post (after receiving over 500 comments) was summarily deleted. The Chancellor of the University then posted a hazy "reply" equating the debate to an attack on equal opportunity (he clearly hadn't read a word)

It is clear that nothing I say will remove the female only space, so others have been suggesting creating a men's only space... except as I see it, it would be equally as useless as the female-only space, and not help the issue in the slightest.

So the question is, is there a use for a men's space on campus (beyond a knee-jerk reaction to the feminist one)?

tl;dr - women have a space, not useful. Do men need a space on campus?