Males and females have patterns of ability, thought and behavior that are different from, not superior to, each other. Life has been difficult and hazardous for both sexes throughout most of recorded history. Men and women have survived by taking on those roles that they were best suited to. Prior to the industrial revolution, most work was in agriculture. Most men would work in the fields as they generally had greater physical strength. As the death rate was much higher than today, women would tend to have many children and be responsible for childcare. These roles originated out of necessity, rather than from a desire of men to oppress women. Indeed, men would be expected to protect their families, while women would nurture them. In this way men and women would use their complementary strengths to help each other survive.A profound change in employment patterns occurred with the industrial revolution of the 19th century, followed by the growth of white-collar work in the 20th century. Work became less physical and more cerebral. These changes were paralleled by improvements in living standards that resulted in lower mortality rates and greatly increased lifespans. As a result, women no longer had the need to have large families, and were able to move into the workforce in greater numbers. Early in the 20th century, there were some genuine inequalities between the sexes that needed to be addressed (women's suffrage would be a good example). It could have also been pointed out at that time that there were many aspects of life that are unfair to men. Even 30 years ago, one rallying cry of the women's movement was "equal rights for all; special privileges for none." Unfortunately, the goals of the feminist movement appear to have shifted from equality to entitlement for women. Here are several cases in point:- A feminist or female viewpoint is seen as superior to a male's, and those men who disagree are labeled "sexist," "chauvinist," and "misogynist." This is in itself arbitrary, sexist and chauvinistic. It should also be noted that that many women don't subscribe to a feminist viewpoint.- Women only situations (e.g. Universities, health clubs) are considered "progressive"; men-only situations (e.g. the Virginia Military Institute, sports clubs) are considered "sexist," and are grounds for litigation.- Men's lives are seen as more expendable than women's lives. Throughout history, men have been the ones to fight and lose their lives in wars (although admittedly many civilian casualties are women). Men are required to register with selective service; women are not. - Men are more likely to go to jail for a particular crime than women are. Furthermore, almost all executions are of men, even though women commit a significant (although lower) number of serious crimes. - Males have higher death rates than females at all ages. Men tend to work in the most dangerous occupations, and thus have a higheroccupational injury and death rate. - The media presents a distorted picture of men by concentrating on the worst individuals, and the worst aspects of men. Men are portrayed as violent and perverted at worst; boorish and slovenly at best. The media also puts an anti-male interpretation on many situations. If women are at a disadvantage in some area, it is because of male oppression; if men are at a disadvantage it is because of their inherent inferiority.- It is acceptable (and even "funny") for a woman to hit or slap a man on TV or in the movies, while a man who hits a woman is considered abusive. This attitude carries over into real-life situations as well. - Men are expected to have relationships and marriages, and are expected to take the initiative in approaching women. It is not always evident whether men's interest will be welcome or not, and when it isn't it can be regarded as "sexual harassment." Men are thus forced to choose between risking committing sexual harassment having the stigma of being unmarried. - A man who is unmarried has a "fear of commitment," while a woman who is unmarried is "strong" and "independent."- An attractive woman often has the option of marrying a well-off man; the reverse usually doesn't apply for men.- If a man's marriage does break up, it is the ex-wife that receives alimony and child support, even if she is able to support herself. Father's rights in child custody cases are limited compared to the mother's rights.- Fathers have no reproductive rights, as a mother can choose to abort an unborn child or to have the child (which the father is responsible for supporting even if he is denied access to it). - Flawed research studies result in statistics and reports claiming that men and boys have an unfair advantage over women and girls. The much-touted claim that women earn 70 cents for every dollar that men earn was calculated by dividing the gross average salary of women by that of men. This does not take into account the fact that men work longer hours, and women work at more part time positions. Also, some of these studies have reached the erroneous conclusion that girls are shortchanged by the education system (even though well over half of college students are female). This has resulted in policy changes in some schools that have resulted in a type of gender-apartheid where girls and boys are separated from each other. In summary, western society has reached a sorry state of affairs in gender issues, where feminists have become a hate group of their own. Their current attitude of hostility and mistrust toward males merely antagonizes and alienates men and boys. Pitting women and girls against men and boys ultimately serves the interests of neither. Clearly, what is needed is an alternative to the current misguided feminism. It would be better if there was a movement that aimed to change the traditional roles of both genders while still respecting the rights of both men and women. Fortunately, there are many people (of both genders) who have become disillusioned with the current state of feminism. Individuals and groups (such as the men's movement) are a good start. Hopefully, these groups will help move society toward a better equilibrium between the sexes in the future. |
Steve Van Valkenburg |
The DesertLight Journal |