Workshop "The unwritten rules — and what they're costing us"

Hotel Barcelò Dresden Newa, ground floor, room Zeis 1

This workshop is suppposed to be a place for men to explore gender expectations and changing gender roles from a critical perspective. We want to talk about questions such as: 'What does society expect from men — as professionals, as colleagues, and as fathers?' and 'What does living up to those expectations cost us?', in order to reflect on gender dynamics in STEM environments and beyond. We will talk about the (changing?) climate of gender dynamics and want to hear about your experiences across your professional and private lives — whether in the lab, the boardroom, or at home. You will gain insight into the costs and privileges that come with being a man, the diversity of ways men experience and express their gender differently, and the possibilities of being a male ally. Through a variety of inputs and methods, we want to peak interest in the understanding of how gender norms shape our lives, our workplaces, and our roles as fathers and partners and critically examine what it means to be a man today.

Men are explicitly invited to participate in this workshop. Maximum number of participants: 15

Lino Köhler is a kindergarten teacher, social worker and education consultant with Dissens – Institute for Education and Research e.V. and Dissens - Pedagogic and Art in Context. Lino worked as a Kindergarten teacher starting in 2009 and pivoted to youth work in 2019. Since 2024 Lino is with Dissens – Institute for Education and Research e.V.. Lino has worked in pedagogics with boys in the far east of Berlin for years and has been teaching topics around gender equality, masculinities and gender pedagogics with a focus on practical social work.

Main topics are:

• Masculinity, right-wing gender stereotypes and violence prevention
• Gender-reflective boys work
• Masculinities and gender diversity
• Manosphere and misogyny

David Gelhaar is a social worker, theater educator, and political educator. He first explored the topic of masculinity in his bachelor's thesis in 2018, researching the potential of deconstructivist theory in educational work with male adolescents. From 2018 to 2022, he worked in various fields of youth work, primarily with boys. At the same time, David began developing and conducting freelance workshops for adults on the topic of masculinities. Since mid-2022, he has been part of Dissens – Institute for Education and Research e.V. as an education officer, initially in the Caring Masculinities in Action project and later in the BeBoys* Reinickendorf project.

Focus areas are:

• Gender-reflective work with boys
• Masculinity and violence prevention
• Discrimination-sensitive education
• Deconstructivist theory and gender