As a psychologist, I’ve been inundated with emails about the treatment of women — but not the ones you might expect

For the past few weeks, while Australian society has been wading through a pivotal cultural moment that will hopefully define its treatment of women going forward, I’ve been receiving a torrent of emails. But not the emails you might expect.

As a men’s mental health specialist, you might think (or hope) that I’d be receiving an influx of men reaching out to seek guidance on the best way to navigate this period or wanting to reflect and better understand their past behaviours and how they can act differently in future.

Surprisingly, these emails have largely been coming from parents — mothers and fathers alike — who are worried about the wellbeing of their boys. They are worried that their sons are all being painted as violent, sexual…