MRA

MRA is an acronym that stands for men’s rights activism (or activist), an anti-feminist movement which argues that men are discriminated against in society.

The term men’s rights, in contrast to women’s rights, appears as early as February 1856 in an article in Putnam’s Monthly Magazine:

Putnam is for woman’s rights; but also for man’s rights—for everybody’s rights; and, in that spirit, we are going to offer a few hints to our legislators, whose vaulting zeal, on behalf of the ladies, seems a little in danger of overleaping itself, and jolting on t’other side.

In other words: “Sure, we’re for women’s rights, but now men’s rights are being infringed.” This has remained a common argument of men’s rights advocates. The men’s rights movement especially took off in the 1970s. The specific phrase men’s rights activist can be found on Usenet forums by 1995, and men’s right activism pops up in 1999.

It’s not clear when men’s rights activist/activism was first abbreviated as MRA, but the first MRA entry on Urban Dictionary dates to October 2004. Do note that self-proclaimed MRAs have been known to blitz Urban Dictionary to ensure that definitions of MRA that are favorable to—rather than critical of—the men’s rights movement trend at the top.

MRA is widely considered problematic because of various views espousing male supremacy. As the hate-crime watchdog the Southern Poverty Law Center notes:

A thinly veiled desire for the domination of women and a conviction that the current system oppresses men in favor of women are the unifying tenets of the male supremacist worldview.

Examples of MRA include the belief that family law favors maternal child custody after divorce or that educational curricula are biased toward feminism, leaving young boys “victimized” as a result.

Both supporters and critics of the men’s rights movement use the acronym MRA. It’s commonly used on social media sites like Twitter, Reddit, and Tumblr.

@WesternU are you suggesting that women disregard signs of danger and simply “trust men.” What legal recourse do women who are assaulted as a result of unisex bathrooms have against your institution which has disregarded women’s rights and safety? #misogyny #MRA pic.twitter.com/qs2eT34xsu

— Melinda (@MelLiszewski) February 15, 2019

Many self-identified MRAs are active all over the world as meninists (a male counterpart to feminist) on the so-called manosphere, or masculinist spaces online.

"Boys left to fail at school because attempts to help them earn wrath of feminists, says ex-Ucas chief"https://t.co/Vu9r4jCAIk#MensRights #MensIssues #MRA #MRHM #MHRA #MRM

— OneMan'sPerspective (@OIrishMP) November 18, 2018

If MRA’s wrote Hallmark cards pic.twitter.com/tXvxT6RQju

— Bourgeoisie Z Top (@wilsonp911) January 2, 2019

Occasionally, people may say the acronym MRA in speech. However, you will more likely encounter the full phrase men’s rights activist/activism in speech and MRA in online writing.

More examples of MRA:

“For all their bluster about feminism as a “cult of victimhood,” the truth is that MRAs can be pretty shameless in encouraging and exploiting men’s own feelings of victimization.”
—Robert Jackman, VICE, August 2018

This content is not meant to be a formal definition of this term. Rather, it is an informal summary that seeks to provide supplemental information and context important to know or keep in mind about the term’s history, meaning, and usage.