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Michael Kaufman

Speaker Exclusive

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Writer and educator who engages men for gender equality

Michael Kaufman, Ph.D., is a public speaker, educator, writer, and consultant, whose innovative approaches to engaging men and boys in promoting gender equality and transforming their lives has taken him around the world.   He is the co-founder of the White Ribbon Campaign, the largest effort in the world of men working to end violence against women.

Keynote Speeches

Virtual Keynotes & Webinars
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The Time Has Come: Why Men Must Join the Gender Equality Revolution

Some people still think that equality between women and men is a zero-sum game, with women winning and men losing. Even if this were true, supporting equality would be the right thing to do. But Michael Kaufman’s work with the United Nations, governments, corporations, trade unions, and NGOs over the past forty years has shown this just isn’t the case. This talk, full of Michael’s celebrated stories and humour, shows what men will gain by supporting equality. It shows the advantages that come to organizations that embrace gender equality. It looks at the importance of leadership on issues ranging from ending violence against women to supporting changes in our workplaces and homes that allow women and men to find work-life balance and to support the new parenting roles that many men are playing. It’s a fun and positive look of our own ideals of manhood that will give practical tools to us all to bring into our workplaces…and lives.

Red Light / Green Light:  A Positive Approach for Ending Sexual Harassment.

Let’s get beyond the misunderstandings, simplistic rules, and rigid categories. This talk creates a positive environment where men can drop any defensiveness and work alongside women to learn about the costs of sexual and other forms of harassment for the workplace and for individual women and men. Most importantly, it helps us all learn to identify the problem, in particular, the subtle forms of harassment, and find practical ways to prevent harassment or respond in productive ways if it does take place.

Men, Business, and the Gender Equality Advantage

For too long we were told it was a battle of the sexes. For too long bringing equality between women and men to our workplaces, homes and communities seemed like a zero-sum game, with women winning and men losing. Even if this were true, supporting equality would be the right thing to do. But Michael Kaufman’s work with corporations, governments, the UN, and NGOs over the past thirty-five years has shown this just isn’t true—if we learn to manage it right. This talk, full of Michael’s celebrated stories and humour, shows what men will gain by supporting equality. It shows the advantages that come to businesses and public institutions that embrace gender equality. It looks at the importance of corporate responsibility and leadership on issues ranging from ending violence against women to supporting the social and workplace changes that allow women and men to find work-life balance and to support the new parenting roles that men are playing. It’s a fun and positive look of our own ideals of manhood that will give practical tools to leaders to bring into their own corporations…and lives.

It’s Our Business, Too: Why Violence Against Women is a Workplace Issue and How We Can End It

Far too many women face physical, sexual, and emotional violence. This talk, drawing on Michael Kaufman’s pioneering work around the world with the United Nations, governments, and non-governmental organizations, and his role as co-founder of the White Ribbon Campaign, looks at the surprising reasons why this is a key issue for businesses and unions alike.  It also analyzes the root causes of this violence and charts an optimistic pathway for women and men to work together to end the violence.

Man Talk! Ending Campus Sexual Assault & the Three Secrets of a Great Relationship

Our campuses have a big problem. But the truth is that most men want good relationships (whether it’s for one-night or the rest of your life.) Campus men want the women we care about to feel safe. This talk, full of stories, humor, and packed with information, looks at the root causes of dating violence. It challenges stereotypes and the actions of some men, but does not dump on guys. It gives clear information about consent. It deals with serious issues, but it’s fun and very positive. It gets to the heart and soul (and, yes, other things) of how to build relationships that will make you feel good. A real crowd pleaser. The New Fatherhood is About to Change the World We’re at the beginning of a change that will do for men what feminism did for women: that is, the full-scale redefinition of fatherhood and men as caregivers. This talk, full of wonderful stories and analysis from across the country and around the world, looks at where we’ve come from, where we’re going and, most importantly, how we’re going to get there to the benefit of us all.  Michael can provide customized workshops or training on any of the presentations above.

The New Fatherhood is About to Change the World

We’re at the beginning of a change that will do for men what feminism did for women: that is, the full-scale redefinition of fatherhood and men as caregivers. This talk, full of wonderful stories and analysis from across the country and around the world, looks at where we’ve come from, where we’re going and, most importantly, how we’re going to get there to the benefit of us all.  Michael can provide customized workshops or training on any of the presentations above.

Audience reviews:

  • Students and staff at the University of North Carolina had high expectations for Michael Kaufman’s speech and workshop, and I am glad to say that he exceeded these expectations in every regard. In comparison with other academics of his stature, Michael’s delivery is exceptional. He can speak about difficult and complex subjects to a large audience, yet makes everyone feel they are taking part in a personal conversation with a trusted professor

    - Graduate, University of North Carolina
  • With a great ability to reach a variety of audiences, Michael Kaufman carries an important message in a way that is humorous, thought-provoking, and engaging. He can help challenge closed minds to open, and open minds to become active. He held the attention of a packed audience and I would highly recommend him

    - Director, Women’s Resource Center, Bucknell University, Pennsylvania
  • Michael Kaufman is an outstanding educator who includes experience, theory, stories, warmth, and humor in his highly stimulating and entertaining engagement of contemporary gender issues

    - Dean of Hobart College, New York
  • He was such an engaging speaker. He captivated everyone who was there. His pictures that he used from the White Ribbon campaign around the world were amazing. It was obvious from his presentation that he was so well versed in the topic and understood the audience! I can't say enough about his speech! I was thrilled with the whole event and that was due to Michael Kaufman speaking!

    - Social Worker, City of Edmonton, Community Services Department

Speaker Biography

Michael Kaufman, PhD, is an advisor, activist, and keynote speaker who has developed innovative approaches to engage men and boys in promoting gender equality and positively transforming men’s lives. Over the past four decades his work with the United Nations, governments, non-governmental organizations, corporations, trade unions, and universities has taken him to fifty countries.

Michael is the co-founder of the White Ribbon Campaign, the largest effort in the world of men working to end violence against women. He’s voluntered as a senior fellow at Promundo (Washington D.C. ) and co-wrote its first State of the Worlds’ Fathers Report.

Through his work, Kaufman combines a deep understanding of gender, violence prevention and social justice issues with an ability to express complex ideas in an understandable and compelling fashion. He exposes us to the contradictions at the heart of masculinity, challenging the existing power structure and holding the potential of liberating men and helping them discover new masculinities.

He advised the French government in 2019 and the Canadian government in 2018 as a member of their respective G7 Gender Equality Advisory Councils. In 2017 he was awarded Canada’s Meritorious Service Cross.

His work in the UN system, including with UN WOMEN, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNDP, IFAD, and UNESCO has taken him to New York, Rome, Paris, Beijing, Katmandu, Ankara, Geneva, Nairobi, Jakarta, and Delhi.  He has worked with numerous NGOs including OXFAM, International Red Cross, Save the Children, and Amnesty International, as well as with governments on six continents. He wrote the training program on sexual harassment used by tens of thousands of staff at the United Nations.

A prolific writer, his latest non-fiction book was The Time Has Come. Why Men Must Join the Gender Equality Revolution. He is the author or editor of eight other books on gender issues, on democracy and development studies, and four novels, the award-winning, The Possibility of Dreaming on a Night Without Stars, the anti-war tale, The Afghan Vampires Book Club, and most recently, the Jen Lu mystery series, The Last Exit (2021) and The Last Resort (2023).