The Umbrella Organization for Men's, Boys' and Fathers' Work in Austria (DMÖ) was developed in 2015 by committed representatives of men's and boys' work and masculinity research and will open its doors on January 15, 2016, with an official founding meeting and press conference in Vienna.
Men's work in Austria plays a pioneering role across the EU and can look back on a history spanning more than 30 years. It was therefore time to establish an umbrella organization that is non-profit, politically independent, and non-denominational.
The representatives of the association, members, and board members make significant contributions to the creation of equitable conditions, taking into account gender-related privileges, costs, and inequalities in equal measure. It is important to make structural male privileges in a patriarchal society visible and to reflect critically on them. At the same time, it is also important to highlight the costs of masculinity and to take into account the diversity of male lifestyles.
The members of the umbrella organization therefore commit themselves to a threefold advocacy role:
- They act as a voice for the vulnerabilities, concerns, and potential of boys, young men, men, and fathers.
- They see themselves as supporters and partners for women and their rights, concerns, and organizations.
- They are committed to gender diversity and social justice.
