press releases

Are Boys Getting the Wrong Message About What it Means to "Be a Man"?

New Handbook from Liz Claiborne Inc. Helps Men Talk to Boys
About Violence in Relationships

NEW YORK, NY - (May 18, 2004) – "Be strong." "Act tough." "Be a Man." Boys see and hear countless messages all around them telling them how to "be a man" in a relationship. But without strong male role models to reinforce positive relationship behavior, are these messages sending the wrong signal?

Whether as a father, coach, teacher, uncle, older brother or mentor, men can play a crucial role in teaching boys about respect, showing them how to handle conflict, and setting examples of how to build healthy relationships. Now, a new, free handbook, "Tough Talk—What Boys Need to Know About Relationship Abuse," is available to help men start a conversation with the boys in their lives about developing and maintaining positive relationships. The booklet is the fifth in a series of educational handbooks offered by Liz Claiborne Inc. as part of the company's 13-year award-winning domestic violence public awareness and educational campaign.

"Because violence in relationships has traditionally been considered a 'women's issue,' men often have an especially hard time broaching the subject. By giving men tips and user-friendly tools to get the conversation started, boys will learn at an early age that physical and emotional violence is not part of being a man," said Jane Randel, vice president of corporate communications at Liz Claiborne Inc.

Teens and Relationships

Considering that nearly 90 percent of teenagers between the ages of 13 and 18 say they have been in dating relationships, it is important to start teaching them about relationship abuse early1. Other important statistics regarding teens and relationships:

  • Thirty-one percent of teens aged 13 to 17 report that they or a friend have experienced dating violence2.
  • Approximately one in five female high school students reports being physically and/or sexually abused by a dating partner3.
  • Twenty-four percent of 14- to 17-year-olds know at least one student at their school who was physically struck by a person they were dating, including 11 percent who know multiple victims of dating violence. Thirty percent of these teens have actually witnessed such an event4.
  • Less than 25 percent of teens say that they have discussed dating violence with their parents5.
  • Nearly 80 percent of girls who have been physically abused in their intimate relationships continue to date their abuser6.

About "Tough Talk"

The content-rich handbook includes a clear definition of relationship abuse, as well as practical guidelines and suggested questions for both starting and sustaining a conversation. Resources for additional information and support are also provided, including Website addresses and phone numbers for national domestic violence prevention organizations.

Experts on the issue of domestic violence contributed to the development of the booklet, including Rosalind Wiseman, cofounder of the Empower Program, a Washington, D.C.-based organization that works with teens to prevent gender-based violence, and author of Queen Bees and Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends, and Other Realities of Adolescence, on which the new film Mean Girls is based; Jackson Katz, founder of MVP Strategies, an organization that provides gender violence prevention training and materials to schools, college and professional athletic organizations, the U.S. military and businesses; and Paul Kivel, a leading expert in the field of violence prevention, and author of Men's Work: How to Stop the Violence that Tears Our Lives Apart. The information was also reviewed by the Family Violence Prevention Fund, a San Francisco-based, national nonprofit organization focusing on domestic violence prevention, education and public policy reform, and Liz Claiborne's long-time national philanthropic partner.

Beginning in May 2004, the handbook can be downloaded from www.loveisnotabuse.com, or ordered by calling 1-800-449-STOP (7867).

Working to Create a Society Intolerant of Abuse

Since 1991, Liz Claiborne Inc. has encouraged women and men to speak out on the issue of relationship violence through its award-winning Women's Work® program. Now in its thirteenth year, the public awareness and educational campaign, known by its tagline, "Love Is Not Abuse," has reached millions of Americans with targeted anti-abuse messages in the form of billboards, TV and radio public service announcements, educational materials, campus workshops and events, fundraising efforts and partnerships with local retailers and community groups.

Please visit the company's Website at www.loveisnotabuse.com for more information about current or previous program initiatives.

1 Survey commissioned by the Empower Program, sponsored by Liz Claiborne Inc. and conducted by Knowledge Networks, Social Control, Verbal Abuse and Violence Among Teenagers, December 2000

2 City of New York, Teen Relationship Abuse Fact Sheet, March 1998

3 Jay G. Silverman, PhD; Anita Raj, PhD; Lorelei A. Mucci, MPH; and Jeanne E. Hathaway, MD, MPH, "Dating Violence Against Adolescent Girls and Associated Substance Use, Unhealthy Weight Control, Sexual Risk Behavior, Pregnancy, and Suicidality," Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 286, No. 5, 2001

4 Survey commissioned by the Empower Program, sponsored by Liz Claiborne Inc. and conducted by Knowledge Networks, Social Control, Verbal Abuse, and Violence Among Teenagers, December 2000

5 Liz Claiborne Inc. study of teens 13-17 conducted by Applied Research and Consulting LLC, Spring 2000

6 City of New York, Teen Relationship Abuse Fact Sheet, March 1998