‘What Is the Point of Men in the 21st Century?’(nytimes.com)
nytimes.com
‘What Is the Point of Men in the 21st Century?’
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/25/opinion/men-in-the-21st-century.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/25/opinion/men-in-the-21st-century.html
If women were falling behind in a world where they had equal access, men (and many women) would have said, "You're just inferior and should accept an inferior place." That is what they said for centuries.
If men are falling behind because the culture sets them up to fail, we can change the culture. But that means finding things that suit men, not holding women back. If "masculinity" means superiority over women, then you cannot have that, and that notion of "masculinity" is never going to happen again.
If men are falling behind because they have biological differences, we can find accommodations. Perhaps male brains aren't as well suited to sitting in offices, and sitting in schools. Women, too, want their sons to succeed. But that means moving forward, not backward.
And as for relationships... if equality for women means not having to rely on a man, that's their right. Women choose men on the woman's terms; anything else is horrifying. Men are not entitled to women, and no pearl-clutching about "masculinity" changes that.
If a man wants a woman, he needs to make himself somebody she wants. Which isn't as hard as a lot of men want to pretend it is. Mostly, it's about un-learning the BS that gets taught about masculinity (and BS "biological" justifications for it). Once you can do that, finding a woman to be a partner rather than an affirmation of your own maleness is still a challenge, but at least he's not cutting himself off from the possibility before he even starts.