7 men who really understand women; A man who understands women respects their ideas and encourages their independence -- here are seven who do.

"Name a man who understands women." A simple request? We asked adiverse group of accomplished Chicago women to ponder that wide-open proposition. As often as not, the immediate response was not ananswer, but a question:

"You mean to say there is such a man?"

It turns out there is -- in fact, there are such men. They arefrom many walks of life, but seem to share a mix of qualities,behaviors, statements -- spoken and unspoken -- that ultimatelydistinguish them. The answers suggest that a man who understandswomen demonstrates it by embracing and empowering women, byrespecting women, encouraging their independence, supporting them asthey struggle and celebrating them as they soar. Here are seven menwho understand women, as interpreted by seven women.

VICTOR SKREBNESKI, PHOTOGRAPHER

Nominated by Natalie van Straaten, Art Dealers Association ofChicago

"He has gotten to know hundreds if not thousands of women throughhis lens. Perhaps the greatest reflection of his understanding womenis through his amazing portraits -- from Bette Davis and AudreyHepburn to Vanessa Redgrave and Martha Plimpton. While many of hisphotos celebrate women as glamorous creatures in dramatic single orgroup shots, his photos of individual women often offer a differentside of the people we think we know. Sometimes he seems to capturethe inner woman -- the way she feels about herself. Other times, heseems to be sharing his own view, vision or interpretation of her.Or possibly a Skrebneski photo is the idealized version of the woman-- brought to life as the rest of the world wants to see her. But init all, his 'understanding women' radar guides his camera to createmagic."

SAMIR GOSWAMI,

Associate director of policy, Chicago Coalition for the Homeless

Nominated by Hannah Rosenthal, executive director, ChicagoFoundation for Women

"Samir's work revolves around helping women who are involved withthe sex trade. Samir understands that women's issues affect all ofus. He told me that while he was in college, he decided that heneeded to do something. He needed to take action. And so he went toMadison [Wis.] and worked with the Coalition Against Sexual Assault.And since then, he has chosen to work on behalf of the mostmarginalized and vulnerable women in our society -- women in the sextrade. From his legislative work to his advocacy, Samir has taken onissues that few will and is a champion."

HAKI MADHUBUTI, PUBLISHER, POET

Nominated by Abena Joan P. Brown, president, eta Creative ArtsFoundation

"His perspective as a writer, a poet most particularly, has givenhim a gentle, genteel if you will, persona. But when you look at hisbiography, expressed in his recent book Yellow Black, one comes tounderstand the depth of his intelligence and his commitment toculture. Over the years it has become clear to me that he has a deepappreciation and understanding of African culture and the role ofwomen out of that tradition, and he has incorporated that into hisbeing. I also thought of some of the relationships he has withwomen. His mother; that relationship, required him not only tounderstand the dynamics of her life, but also to be protective ofher as well as his sister. He has a very strong relationship withhis wife Safisha, and her mother, who lives with them, and thechildren. Margaret Burroughs has been an influence in his life, as Ihave been, and we are basically very strong women. And he's not fullof himself, if you know what I mean. He has the capacity to haverelationships with people based on mutuality and respect. He isstrong and resilient, with a deep love of beauty. In recent years hehas started calling me his big sister, and I am grateful for thedepth and breadth of our relationship. We can talk about anything.He sustains me, keeps me going.

JEFFREY MASTEN,

Associate professor of English and director, Gender StudiesProgram, Northwestern University

Nominated by Jillana Enteen, associate director, Gender Studies,Northwestern University

"What's implicit in that question is trying to lock women in abox. ... What makes Jeffrey a good example of coming close toanswering a question that can't be answered is the way he practiceshis theory: He constantly challenges the boundaries of identity. Heis able to constantly think of ways how, as a white male, he cankeep an eye out for marginalized categories, which is first andforemost women. He actively develops coursework and classes like'Writing Renaissance Women' -- there can't be more solid evidencethan that -- and his theoretical apparatus, the way you read thetext, is so informed by women. He credits his teachers. He had astrong grandmother who was a teacher, and what I hear constantlycoming out of his mouth are things he learned from his [female]professors. He is in contact with people doing interesting feministwork. He really hears it. He incorporates."

KERRY JAMES MARSHALL, ARTIST

Nominated by Lynne Warren, curator, Museum of Contemporary Art

"Kerry James Marshall is especially supportive of his manystudents, and a number of his female students have fared well, suchas Mequitta Ahuja who has shown in our '12 x 12' series or Aya-Nicole Cook, who was also his studio assistant. Ms. Cook wasfeatured in the recent 'Drawing as Process' exhibition at the SmartMuseum with a display showing the relation between her fashion workand the dress of the figures in his paintings. He also isconscientious of his elders, and included Senga Nengudi, apioneering female African-American artist, as part of his majorexhibition, 'One True Thing: Meditations on Black Aesthetics' at theMCA. He frequently portrays empowered girls and women in hisartworks, such as the young girl surrounded by history books in'Sob, Sob,' 2003."

FORMER GOV. JIM EDGAR

Nominated by Judy Baar Topinka, former Illinois treasurer,gubernatorial candidate

"Jim Edgar opened the door to so many women in hisadministration. It was the first time we saw two women win at thesame time (1995) statewide -- Lolita Didrickson and myself. Heappointed women to direct major departments -- he appointed thefirst woman (Rebecca Doyle, 1990) to head the department ofagriculture, which is nontraditional. He loves his wife dearly andbecause of her and their relationship he trusts women to do a goodjob and understands how to work with us without ever beingcondescending. I think that's exceptional in the political milieu,where a lot of men have token women and frankly walk out on them andmake promises they don't keep. Jim Edgar makes promises he keeps andI find that remarkable in any man. Men who understand women are opento good ideas and don't care where they come from. That's a tendencythat's more feminine, and it works well for them. They seekconsensus, they build win/win situations instead of leavingcasualties everywhere."

EMMANUEL NONY

Nominated By Maria Pinto, fashion designer

"There are many characteristics that one must possess to trulyunderstand the complexities of woman. I would consider some of themost important traits to be: empathy, humility and humor. I nominateEmmanuel Nony. Because of his European upbringing, he has such aheightened level of sensitivity and sophistication that any womancan find comfort in. Not to mention that he is easy on the eyes,perfect arm candy!"

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN: Do you know a "man who understands women?"Continue the conversation by offering up your choice atlifestyles@suntimes.com. Include an explanation, rationale orevidence of how your nominee is a "man who understands women."Please keep your text to 100 words. We'll post your thoughts online.