"Good Guys, Bad Guys": Feminist men, MRAs, and the quest for moral redemption

Four in 10 American men self-identify as feminists. On the surface, this is a good thing—men are increasingly aligned, at least intellectually, with women’s full and equal participation in public life. But an era of increasing numbers of feminist men is also accompanied by rising mysoginist organizing, especially online, through the rise of male grievance groups often called men’s rights activists (MRAs). While feminist men position themselves as working toward the end of patriarchy, MRAs generally believe it is men, not women, who face structural gender-based discrimination—discrimination they claim is ignored by the cultural mainstream. 

Though the aims of MRAs and feminist men are different, both can be categorized as types of “gender activists,” according to Emily Carian, assistant professor of teaching at UC Irvine, where she is a sociologist of gender. She recently returned to the Clayman Institute for Gender Research, where she served as a graduate dissertation fellow, to present a talk on her new book, Good Guys, Bad Guys: The Perils of Men’s Gender Activism. In the book, Carian analyzes interviews of 62 American men who self-identify as feminists or men’s rights activists. She asks: How do men become gender activists, and what impact does men’s gender activism have on gender inequality at large?

Men’s self-identification with feminism or men's rights groups often starts similarly. When encountering the reality of women’s lives under patriarchy—such as women’s experiences of sexual violence—a feeling of threat often arises. “Feminism makes men’s privilege visible, which is uncomfortable, and they need to navigate that,” Carian said. This discomfort is not always a mental and emotional confrontation with women’s reality; instead, it often emerges as a defensive reaction, destabilizing their moral self-image. Men in both camps wrestle with a central question: If men are the problem, what does that say about me?

Resolving this “moral threat” often involves one of two pathways, which Carian calls privilege renegotiation strategies. Matthew, a 40-year-old participant in Carian’s study, casts himself at a safe distance from other, harmful men, saying, “it’s not that I’m a danger, it’s other men making me look bad,” upon learning about women’s experiences with gender-based harassment. To resolve this tension, Matthew became one of the “good guys,” aligning himself with the feminist cause and adopting a morally superior identity. In contrast, MRAs encounter similar information with skepticism, seeking alternative narratives to counter feminist critiques. One participant expressed frustration over being labeled a “bad guy” despite his potential sacrifices, such as the risk of being drafted into military service. For these men, adopting a MRA identity reframes them as victims of a system that unfairly elevates women’s grievances while dismissing men's suffering.

In both cases, the response is less about dismantling inequality and more about salvaging a moral self-image. “Privilege renegotiation strategies do not require high-status group members to confront inequality, but enable them to maintain their moral sense of self in light of inequality,” said Carian. Whether by becoming feminists or MRAs, men position themselves as morally exceptional, but their investment often stops at self-perception rather than meaningful action. As her data shows, men’s gender activism frequently becomes an identity project rather than a vehicle for change. Even feminist men, she noted, rarely engage in activism beyond adopting the label. “Neoliberal feminism,” she argued, “has turned the movement into an identity rather than a practice.” In this framing, feminism is not a collective struggle but a badge of individual moral goodness—a badge that many men (and women) are eager to show off. 

Carian’s research highlights a sobering truth: men’s participation in gender activism often serves to reaffirm personal identity rather than contribute to systemic change. Casting themselves as noble crusaders for opposing causes, the focus remains on self-preservation, leaving the potential of men’s substantive engagement with dismantling gender inequality largely untapped. Gender activism, in this context, becomes less about changing the world and more about changing how men see themselves within it.