On a scale of one to ten, 1 being conservative extremist and 10 being liberal extremist, at which number would you place yourself?

As you said, you are in Australia. "Conservative" vs "liberal" mean different things in different nations. I believe that the government should be involved in my life as little as possible. There is a bare minimum of services which I cannot procure myself, such as a police force national security, emergency transportation to the hospital, and emergency fire response. Also, utilities such as water, sewer, and electricity and elementary education should be reinforced to a minimal level. I don't think much else should be funded at a national level by the government. As American standards go, that puts me at moderate to extreme conservative.

What do you think are some of the flaws of feminism?

That's an answer worthy of many books, and several have been written. A short bibliography would include all of Warren Farrels books, and the three books by Nathanson & Young.

There's an attempt to nail down a concise answer here: : http://www.reddit.com/r/MensRights/comments/txl8o/a_cloud_called_feminism/

What is your opinion on the Men’s Rights movement? (Do you think they are needed to defend the rights of men, do you think they help or hinder feminism etc)

I think the Mens Rights movement(s) provide a necessary counter argument to feminist extremism.

Is there a significant negativity or pressure placed on boys and men in popular culture?

yes.

Is this more or less than girls and women?

It's different from that placed on girls and women. It varies tremendously across cultures.

For instance, there is the human rights violation of infant / childhood female genital mutilation. It's rightfully condemned, categorically, in Western cultures. But when you begin describing the human rights violation that is male genital mutilation, peoples' eyes begin to roll. A video here [1] describes the similarities and differences as concisely as anything else I've found.

Another example:

A recent study found that the sentencing variances for people of different genders were several times larger than those for people of different races.[2] You may have heard of Jodi Arias, a woman who brutally murdered her boyfriend. A member of the jury announced within the last few days that while some on the jury wanted her to have the death penalty, others wanted to spare her life ~because of her gender.~[3] A third example: The UN has an office named "United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women," no mention of men at all. How is this working in reality? [4] they have a stated goal of using national disasters to shift power and control but they feel much less need to respond to male victims of war rape. [5]

Name some positive role models (in the media or real life) for BOYS

Honestly, I try to avoid "popular" media, so my references are scif-related: I will say, though, that scifi characters tend to be written in a manner that emphasizes a more egalitarian future.

Luke Skywalker and (the redeemed) Anakin Skywalker. Obi-Wan Kenobi. Ender from Ender's Game. Trip Tucker on Star Trek Enterprise. Captain Archer & Dr. Phlox from the same, and Mr. Spock. Captain Picard. Rocky Balboa's arc through his several movies - no single one gives you the whole story, but link [6] goes to one of my favorite scenes. (you'll see below that his wife, Adrian, is linked for girls.)

Importantly, NOT Captain Kirk. He chased sex too much imo, especially as a role model for kids.

Also, Sylvester Stallone, for his writing skills in putting together the Rocky and Rambo movies and other movies.

Neil Degrasse-Tyson

Name some positive role models (in the media or real life) for GIRLS

Adrian Balboa, and primarily for the scene linked at [7] - she's someone who had been physically abused and sexually shamed by her brother, but she's still developed the courage & agency to stand up to Rocky here and demand that he figure out who he is and follow through with it. Importantly, he spouts out some misconceptions & doubts about his (now dead) trainer and she corrects him. This woman is shouting truth in contradiction to a character who is supposed to be the heavyweight champion of the world. She stands up to him more later in the films, mostly in opposition to his fighting. Unfortunately, she's increasingly depicted as a nag in later movies. She should have been written to create something for herself.

2) Princess Leiah, and a few unnamed female characters in Star Wars. Mon Mothma was a "bit part" in SW, but she was an important political figure. "Important political figures" though, usually were bit parts in the Star wars movies. Dr.s Crusher and Pulaski in Star Trek TNG.

Captain Janeway in Star Trek Voyager was awesome. Everything about her showed knowledge, professionalism, and excellent leadership You didn't get a "sexy" vibe or a "mother" vibe or a "healer/ nurse" vibe from her character. She just was an excellent captain. Uhura in Star Trek TOS. [8] Monumental. [9]

Ada Lovelace. Marie Curie.

In a sentence, what is the main approach we need to take to ensure gender equality in our society and culture?

The most important step is to find a definition of "equality" that is respectful to people without regard to gender. Once that's done, you must move in that direction. The problem is that that's a very difficult task in practice. "Equality for women" throws men under the bus, as does "Equality for men", but there are two divergent paradigms here that are merged only at great peril. Once I demand that you embrace my definition of fairness, you have a new reason to resent me.

Any additional comments are welcome below.

I'm placing a copy of this interview and my response on Reddit.

[1] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98f3IavuEgQ

[2]http://www.law.umich.edu/newsandinfo/features/Pages/starr_gender_disparities.aspx

[3] http://www.reddit.com/r/MensRights/comments/1f3fj5/arias_jury_foreman_we_could_not_kill_her_because/

[4] http://www.reddit.com/r/MensRights/comments/az62c/stated_un_goal_significantly_disrupting_and/ direct quote: "Disasters can be great liberators!! "

[5] http://www.reddit.com/r/MensRights/comments/xgfvj/the_un_has_neglected_sexual_violence_against_men/

[6]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3S49LbkpKA

[7]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7xCiXakVY8

[8]http://www.npr.org/2011/01/17/132942461/Star-Treks-Uhura-Reflects-On-MLK-Encounter

[9] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plato%27s_Stepchildren

Thank you for your time and honest answers, your opinion will be very helpful in compiling my research.

All the best!

x