Redefining what makes a man

Boys in focus

According to Hu, Male Virtue Academy advocates for nurturing each boy's individuality — their personality, preferences, and self-identity — rather than forcing everyone into a narrow definition of "masculinity".

"We don't want to promote one fixed model of what a man should be. Otherwise, those who don't fit that mold risk being bullied or discriminated against," Hu said.

When it comes to sexuality education for children, there is a growing consensus that boys may need scientific gender education even more urgently than girls — though it is essential for adolescents of both genders.

"The social and cultural messages boys receive are often more aggressive," Hu explained. "Without proper guidance, statistics show that they are more likely to become perpetrators of sexual harassment or assault."

An even bigger challenge, he noted, comes from deeply ingrained family and social environments.

In one class, Hu asked a group of primary school boys, "What should you do if your dad cries?" One child immediately said, "Dads shouldn't cry. If they do, they're losers."

"This clearly reflects what they've absorbed from older generations, showing how traditional gender roles are passed down," Hu said.

The absence of fathers from housework and childcare, the casual use of foul language, and crude jokes among peers — these everyday influences constantly reinforce distorted ideas of "what it means to be male", making gender equality education especially challenging, Hu added.

For many boys, knowledge about the opposite gender is often vague or even nonexistent. Zhu pointed out that in practice, few people ever teach boys how to properly care for women.

He gave the example of buying sanitary pads. While men do not menstruate, their mothers, partners, or daughters do. Learning how to buy sanitary pads and provide support during menstruation, Zhu argued, should be considered a "required course" for boys' education.

"The purpose of Male Virtue Academy is to fill this gap in boys' education," Zhu said. "As long as we persist in this effort, change will come — and tomorrow will be better than today."