Have you read "The Myth of Male Power" by Warren Farrell?

Question

From the forward: "Our genetic heritage led to a male protecting the female even to the point of dying, and certainly to the point of listening to her needs and repressing his own. Our genetic future will lead to women being protected more by being self-reliant, dealing with men as human beings who express real feelings, not human doings who reflexively follow blueprints for "leaders" - and are therefore followers."

Who really has power these days? The man who sits in the bosses chair or the woman who can destroy him with a simple, even unsubstantiated claim of harassment? The "man of the house," or the woman for whom he is expected to lay down his life to protect? The woman who voluntarily serves in the armed forces, or the man who serves, but also must register for the Selective Service? What will equal power look like?

Answer 1

I haven't read it, but from the title, I know Farrell has got it right.

Men weren't exactly living on a bed of roses pre-feminism, as doodlebugjim points out. Getting massacred on the battlefield isn't fun.

Women in the west have all the power mainly due to sexist laws like VAWA and abortion rights, sexist divorce judges and imagined wage gaps. 'Herjury' (false accusations of s*x crimes by women) are 'punished' with counseling instead of jail time, if at all punished. Add to that phony femstats like the Superbowl Sunday scam, 1 in 4 rape stat and spinning of the 90% DV stat, and you get a matriarchal west.

There is even a EURO 2008 scam brewing up, though I'm confident this time people won't take it seriously.

Women were safe at home, and men were in danger of losing their lives each day pre-feminism. Before feminism, men never saw the children they loved, and today's divorce judges aren't making things better.

So, in what sense did men have so much power before feminism? Feminists made it out like men did nothing else with their time than beat and rape women.

Answer 2

I haven't read the book but the basic idea sounds valid i.e. that feminism has really played up the idea men having a great life while women have been oppressed. Frankly this myth is nonsense if you take a few minutes to think about it e.g.

Men traditionally:

1/ Go out to work. Could be dangerous (e.g. coal mine), stressful, or if you are lucky - just boring. Often involves the stress/inconvenience of commuting.

2/ Drafted to fight in wars, unless already a professional soldier. Either way dangerous and tough work.

3/ Don't get to see much of their children as they grow up.

4/ Emotionality discouraged e.g. can be shot for cowardice in wartime, 'boys don't cry' etc

5/ Education for some in the privileged classes (exam pressure, 'exciting' library books etc)

Women:

1/ Clean the home, which is repetitive, low skilled.

2/ Bring up the children. Taking care of infants can be stressful.

3/ Ok to express emotions (e.g. cry etc) but not opinions on politics etc

4/ Have crafts (e.g. embroidery or music) instead of education.

Obviously things have changed to some degree now, and it can be argued that women had fewer limitations before the industrial revolution, but feminists have somehow convinced everyone that the division of gender roles (as outlined above) have advantaged men and disadvantaged women thus creating the great myth of The Patriarchy, something that feminism delights in having freed us all from.