Masculism: Difference between revisions
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'''Masculism''' (or '''masculinism''') refers to political, cultural, and economic movements aimed at establishing and defending political, economic, and social rights and participation in society for men and boys. |
'''Masculism''' (or '''masculinism''') refers to political, cultural, and economic movements aimed at establishing and defending political, economic, and social rights and participation in society for men and boys. More generally it may refer to any movement, theory or opinion that holds the belief in achieving male equality with females to be its core tennant. In this regard it is the equal and opposite of feminism, which is defined by its wish to achieve the same goals, though from a contradistinct viewpoint. Rights of concern to masculists may include legal equalities, such as those of conscription, child custody, alimony, and equal pay for equal work. Its concepts sometimes coincide with those of men's rights, father's rights, and men's liberation. {{citation needed|date=March 2014}} Masculinism strives to achieve these aims by advocating of the rights or needs of men; the adherence to or promotion of opinions, values, attitudes, etc. regarded as typical of men;<ref name="BunninYu2008"/><ref name="Honderich1995">{{cite book|last=Christensen|first=Ferrell|editor=Ted Honderich|title=The Oxford Companion to Philosophy|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=4ii8AAAAIAAJ|year=1995|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-866132-0}}</ref><ref name=reason>{{cite news|publisher=''[[Reason magazine|Reason]]''|title=Man Troubles: Making Sense of the Men's Movement|author=[[Cathy Young]]|date=July 1994|url=http://law-journals-books.vlex.com/vid/man-troubles-making-sense-men-movement-53432494/ai_16075316/}} "Not to worry" there seems to imply that this conception of masculism poses a threat to women, or to the women's movement. A broader conception of the women's movement, however, recognizes that patriarchy is harmful to both men and women, and therefore that prejudice and discrimination against both genders will need to be recognized and redressed.</ref> or, alternatively, an approach that is focused on [[Androcentrism]]<ref name="Masculinist">{{cite web|title=masculinist, n|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/masculinist|work=Merriam-Webster|publisher=[[Merriam-Webster]]|accessdate=2011-07-18}}</ref><ref name="Brittan1989">{{cite book|author=Arthur Brittan|title=Masculinity and Power|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=ptFzQgAACAAJ&pg=PA91|accessdate=11 May 2013|year= 1989|publisher= Wiley|isbn= 978-0-631-14167-9|page= 4|quote= Masculinism is the ideology that justifies and naturalizes male domination. As such it is the ideology of patriarchy. Masculinism takes it for granted that there is a fundamental difference between men and women, it assumes that heterosexuality is normal, it accepts without question the sexual division of labour, and it sanctions the political and dominant role of men in the public and private spheres}}</ref> including the exclusion of [[Woman|women]].<ref name="BunninYu2008">{{cite book|author1=Nicholas Bunnin|author2=Jiyuan Yu|title=The Blackwell Dictionary of Western Philosophy|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=LdbxabeToQYC&pg=PA411|date=15 April 2008|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-0-470-99721-5|page=411|chapter=Masculinism}}</ref> |
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==Definition and scope== |
==Definition and scope== |
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The [[Oxford English Dictionary]] regards it as |
The [[Oxford English Dictionary]] regards it as Philosopher Ferrell Christensen differentiates the words "masculism" and "masculinism"; he defines the latter as promoting the attributes of manliness.<ref name="Honderich1995">{{cite book|last=Christensen|first=Ferrell|editor=Ted Honderich|title=The Oxford Companion to Philosophy|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=4ii8AAAAIAAJ|year=1995|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-866132-0}}</ref> |
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Political scientist Georgia Duerst-Lahti also distinguishes between the two terms, with masculism being more associated with the early gender egalitarian days of [[men's movement]], while masculinism refers to [[patriarchy]] and its ideology.<ref>{{Cite book | editor = Goertz, Gary | editor2 = Mazur, Amy | first2 = Amy. | title = Politics, gender, and concepts : theory and methodology | year = 2008 | publisher = Cambridge University Press | chapter= Gender Ideology:masculinism and femininalism |author=Georgia Duerst-Lahti | isbn = 978-0-521-72342-8 | pages = 159–192 }}</ref><ref name="Dupuis-Déri2009">{{cite journal|last1=Dupuis-Déri|first1=Francis|title=Le " masculinisme " : une histoire politique du mot (en anglais et en français)|journal=Recherches féministes|volume=22|issue=2|year=2009|pages=97|issn=0838-4479|doi=10.7202/039213ar}}</ref> |
Political scientist Georgia Duerst-Lahti also distinguishes between the two terms, with masculism being more associated with the early gender egalitarian days of [[men's movement]], while masculinism refers to [[patriarchy]] and its ideology.<ref>{{Cite book | editor = Goertz, Gary | editor2 = Mazur, Amy | first2 = Amy. | title = Politics, gender, and concepts : theory and methodology | year = 2008 | publisher = Cambridge University Press | chapter= Gender Ideology:masculinism and femininalism |author=Georgia Duerst-Lahti | isbn = 978-0-521-72342-8 | pages = 159–192 }}</ref><ref name="Dupuis-Déri2009">{{cite journal|last1=Dupuis-Déri|first1=Francis|title=Le " masculinisme " : une histoire politique du mot (en anglais et en français)|journal=Recherches féministes|volume=22|issue=2|year=2009|pages=97|issn=0838-4479|doi=10.7202/039213ar}}</ref> |
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Christensen differentiates between "progressive masculism" and an "extremist version". The former welcomes many of the societal changes promoted by feminists, while stating that many aimed at reducing sexism against |
Christensen differentiates between "progressive masculism" and an "extremist version". The former welcomes many of the societal changes promoted by feminists, while stating that many aimed at reducing sexism against supremacy have had the effect of increasing it against men.<ref name="Honderich1995"/> Nicholas Davidson, in his book ''The Failure of Feminism'' describes an extremist version of masculism which he termed "virism". According to Davidson, in this view "What ails society is 'effeminacy'. The improvement of society requires that the influence of female values be decreased and the influence of male values increased…."<ref name="Honderich1995"/><ref name="Davidson1988">{{cite book|author=Nicholas Davidson|title=The failure of feminism|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=pf8pAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA274|year=1988|publisher=Prometheus Books, Publishers|isbn=978-0-87975-408-2|pages=274–}}</ref> |
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[[Gender theory|Gender theories]], which have frequently focussed on woman-based or feminist approaches, have come to include a |
[[Gender theory|Gender theories]], which have frequently focussed on woman-based or feminist approaches, have come to include a masculist approach which seeks to examine oppression in a masculinist society from the perspectives of men, most of whom do not benefit from that society.<ref name="HoogensenSolheim2006">{{cite book|author1=Gunhild Hoogensen|author2=Bruce Olav Solheim|title=Women in power: world leaders since 1960|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=ZPThCTMVsZQC&pg=PA21|year=2006|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-275-98190-7|pages=21–}}</ref> |
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From a feminist perspective to philosophy, masculinism seeks to value and include only male views, and claim "that anything that cannot be reduced or translated in men's experience should be excluded from the subject-matter of philosophy."<ref name="BunninYu2008"/> |
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==Topic areas of interest to masculism== |
==Topic areas of interest to masculism== |
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===Education=== |
===Education=== |
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Some, small groups of masculists have suggested the abolition of co-educational schooling, believing that single-sex schools are preferred for the well-being of boys.<ref name="Blais, Melissa 2012">Melissa Blais and Francis Dupuis-Déri. "Masculinism and the Antifeminist Countermovement." ''Social Movement Studies: Journal of Social, Cultural and Political Protest'' 11:1 (2012): 21–39.</ref> |
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===Employment=== |
===Employment=== |
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Data from 1994 in the U.S. reported that 94% of workplace |
Data from 1994 in the U.S. reported that 94% of workplace fatality victims are male. Masculist Warren Farrell has argued that men are often clustered in dirty, physically demanding and hazardous jobs in an unjustifiably disproportionate manner.<ref name=reason/> |
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===Violence=== |
===Violence=== |
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===Suicide=== |
===Suicide=== |
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Masculinists |
Masculinists have highlighted the comparatively high rates of suicide in men as evidence of a disproportionate negative aspect to the male experience.<ref name="Blais, Melissa 2012"/> |
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==Reactions== |
==Reactions== |
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To the extent that masculism is associated with antifeminist masculinism, its primary focus is on "masculinity and the place of white heterosexual men in North America and European societies."<ref name="Blais, Melissa 2012"/> |
To the extent that masculism is associated with antifeminist masculinism, its primary focus is on "masculinity and the place of white heterosexual men in North America and European societies."<ref name="Blais, Melissa 2012"/> |
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Some masculinists believe that differentiated gender roles are natural |
Some masculinists believe that differentiated gender roles are natural, though there is also some evidence that social influences (e.g. gender division of labor, socialization) are the primary origin of gender differentiation.<ref name="Risman, Barbara 2004">[[Barbara Risman]], "Gender as a Social Structure: Theory Wrestling with Activism." ''Gender & Society'' 18.4 (2004): 429–450.</ref><ref>Susan A. Basow, ''Gender Stereotypes and Roles'' (Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole, 1992).</ref> It has also been argued that belief in inherent gender differences can allow for inequality and for a dominant group to assert power by means of perceived difference.<ref name="Risman, Barbara 2004"/> |
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The masculinist movement has to some extent appropriated the concepts of [[evolutionary psychology]]: this theory argues that adaptation during prehistory resulted in complementary but different roles for the different genders, and that this balance has been destabilized by feminism since the 1960s.<ref name="Blais, Melissa 2012"/> |
The masculinist movement has to some extent appropriated the concepts of [[evolutionary psychology]]: this theory argues that adaptation during prehistory resulted in complementary but different roles for the different genders, and that this balance has been destabilized by feminism since the 1960s.<ref name="Blais, Melissa 2012"/> |
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Some masculinist movements are explicitly antifeminist.<ref name="Blais, Melissa 2012"/> |
Some masculinist movements are explicitly antifeminist.<ref name="Blais, Melissa 2012"/> Some masculinist identifying activists were involved in the disruption of events organized by feminists and lawsuits against feminist academics, journalists, or activists.<ref name="Blais, Melissa 2012"/> Indeed, the actions taken by some supposedly masculinist parties are sometimes extreme; father's rights activists have bombed family courts in Australia and have issued bomb threats in the UK, although it is ambiguous whether there was public and organized militant group involvement.<ref name="Blais, Melissa 2012"/> Spokesmen for some MRA groups have also spoken out against public awareness campaigns to prevent sexual assault, arguing that they portray a negative image of men, and one such group is reported to have harassed administrators of dozens of battered women's shelters and women's centers.<ref name="Blais, Melissa 2012"/> |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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Revision as of 18:14, 28 October 2014
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2012) |
 | This article may require copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone, or spelling. (October 2014) |
Masculism (or masculinism) refers to political, cultural, and economic movements aimed at establishing and defending political, economic, and social rights and participation in society for men and boys. More generally it may refer to any movement, theory or opinion that holds the belief in achieving male equality with females to be its core tennant. In this regard it is the equal and opposite of feminism, which is defined by its wish to achieve the same goals, though from a contradistinct viewpoint. Rights of concern to masculists may include legal equalities, such as those of conscription, child custody, alimony, and equal pay for equal work. Its concepts sometimes coincide with those of men's rights, father's rights, and men's liberation. [citation needed] Masculinism strives to achieve these aims by advocating of the rights or needs of men; the adherence to or promotion of opinions, values, attitudes, etc. regarded as typical of men;[1][2][3] or, alternatively, an approach that is focused on Androcentrism[4][5] including the exclusion of women.[1]
Definition and scope
The Oxford English Dictionary regards it as Philosopher Ferrell Christensen differentiates the words "masculism" and "masculinism"; he defines the latter as promoting the attributes of manliness.[2] Political scientist Georgia Duerst-Lahti also distinguishes between the two terms, with masculism being more associated with the early gender egalitarian days of men's movement, while masculinism refers to patriarchy and its ideology.[6][7]
Christensen differentiates between "progressive masculism" and an "extremist version". The former welcomes many of the societal changes promoted by feminists, while stating that many aimed at reducing sexism against supremacy have had the effect of increasing it against men.[2] Nicholas Davidson, in his book The Failure of Feminism describes an extremist version of masculism which he termed "virism". According to Davidson, in this view "What ails society is 'effeminacy'. The improvement of society requires that the influence of female values be decreased and the influence of male values increased…."[2][8] Gender theories, which have frequently focussed on woman-based or feminist approaches, have come to include a masculist approach which seeks to examine oppression in a masculinist society from the perspectives of men, most of whom do not benefit from that society.[9]
Topic areas of interest to masculism
Education
Some, small groups of masculists have suggested the abolition of co-educational schooling, believing that single-sex schools are preferred for the well-being of boys.[10]
Employment
Data from 1994 in the U.S. reported that 94% of workplace fatality victims are male. Masculist Warren Farrell has argued that men are often clustered in dirty, physically demanding and hazardous jobs in an unjustifiably disproportionate manner.[3]
Violence
| Part of a series on |
| Violence against men |
|---|
| Issues |
| Killing |
| Sexual assault and rape |
| Related topics |
Masculists express concern about violence against men being depicted as humorous, in the media and elsewhere.[11]
Masculists also express concern about violence against men being ignored, minimalized or taken less seriously than violence against women.[10][12] They assert that there is gender asymmetry in domestic violence.[10] Another concern expressed is that assumptions of female innocence or sympathy for women may result in disproportionate penalties for women and men for similar crimes,[11] lack of sympathy for male victims in domestic violence cases, and dismissal of female-on-male sexual assault and sexual harassment cases.
Custody
"Custody law is perhaps the best-known area of men's rights activism", as it is more common for the mother to obtain custody of children in case of divorce. David Benatar, head of philosophy at the University of Cape Town, argues: "When the man is the primary care-giver his chances of winning custody are lower than when the woman is the primary care-giver. Even when the case is not contested by the mother, he's still not as likely to get custody as when the woman's claim is uncontested".[13]
Suicide
Masculinists have highlighted the comparatively high rates of suicide in men as evidence of a disproportionate negative aspect to the male experience.[10]
Reactions
Feminism
Feminists respond to the different ideologies of masculism in different ways. Masculists who promote gender equality are often considered male feminists.[14] It is the general opinion of modern feminists that masculism, when defined as "male superiority or dominance",[4] is inherently opposed to the equality cause and is considered a form of misogyny.[15] Philosopher Ferrell Christensen states that if masculism and feminism refer to the belief that men/women are systematically discriminated against, and that this discrimination should be eliminated, there is not necessarily a conflict between feminism and masculism, and some assert that they are both.[2] However, many believe that one sex is more discriminated against, and thus use one label and reject the other.[2]
Criticisms and responses
To the extent that masculism is associated with antifeminist masculinism, its primary focus is on "masculinity and the place of white heterosexual men in North America and European societies."[10]
Some masculinists believe that differentiated gender roles are natural, though there is also some evidence that social influences (e.g. gender division of labor, socialization) are the primary origin of gender differentiation.[16][17] It has also been argued that belief in inherent gender differences can allow for inequality and for a dominant group to assert power by means of perceived difference.[16] The masculinist movement has to some extent appropriated the concepts of evolutionary psychology: this theory argues that adaptation during prehistory resulted in complementary but different roles for the different genders, and that this balance has been destabilized by feminism since the 1960s.[10]
Some masculinist movements are explicitly antifeminist.[10] Some masculinist identifying activists were involved in the disruption of events organized by feminists and lawsuits against feminist academics, journalists, or activists.[10] Indeed, the actions taken by some supposedly masculinist parties are sometimes extreme; father's rights activists have bombed family courts in Australia and have issued bomb threats in the UK, although it is ambiguous whether there was public and organized militant group involvement.[10] Spokesmen for some MRA groups have also spoken out against public awareness campaigns to prevent sexual assault, arguing that they portray a negative image of men, and one such group is reported to have harassed administrators of dozens of battered women's shelters and women's centers.[10]
See also
- Antifeminism
- Hypermasculinity
- Kyriarchy
- Machismo
- Masculine psychology
- Masculinity
- Matriarchy
- Men's liberation
- Men's movement
- Misandry
Men's organizations
- Fathers 4 Justice
- International Men's Day (19 November: Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Australia, India, United States, Singapore, United Kingdom, Malta, South Africa, Hungary, Ireland, Ghana, and Canada)
- Save Indian Family
Notable persons associated with masculism
Books
- Manliness (book) (2006)
Bibliography
- Politics of Aristotle asserts excellence varies with social role, including gender.
- The Legal Subjection of Men, 1908 antithesis of John Stuart Mill's 1869 The Subjection of Women.
- The Fraud of Feminism by Ernest Belfort Bax, 1914.
- The Myth of the Monstrous Male and Other Feminist Fallacies; John Gordon, Playboy Press, New York, 1982; ISBN 0-87223-758-3
- "La condition masculine dans le Rouge et le Noir" Gilles Aerts, mémoire de maîtrise, University of British Columbia, 1987.
- The Myth of Male Power: Why Men Are the Disposable Sex; Warren Farrell, Simon & Schuster, New York, 1993: ISBN 0-671-79349-7
- Manliness by Harvey Mansfield (2006) Yale Press [1] ISBN 0-300-10664-5
- Not Guilty: The Case in Defense of Men; David Thomas, William Morrow and Co., Inc., New York, 1993; ISBN 0-688-11024-X
- Good Will Toward Men; Jack Kammer, St. Martin's Press, New York, 1994; ISBN 0-312-10471-5
- Moral Panic: Biopolitics Rising; John Fekete, Robert Davies Publishing, Montreal-Toronto, 1994: ISBN 1-895854-09-1
- The New Men's Studies: A Selected and Annotated Interdisciplinary Bibliography (2nd Edition); Eugene R. August, Libraries Unlimited, Inc., Englewood, CO, 1994: ISBN 1-56308-084-2
- A Man's World: How Real Is Male Privilege – And How High Is Its Price?; Ellis Cose, Harper Collins, New York, 1995: ISBN 0-06-017206-1
- Why Men Don't Iron: The Real Science of Gender Studies; Anne & Bill Moir, Harper Collins, Hammersmith, London, 1998; ISBN 0-00-257035-1 (Trade Paperback); ISBN 0-00-257048-3 (Hardcover)
- The Strong, Sensitive Boy; Ted Zeff, Prana Publishing (May 3, 2010); ISBN 0966074521
- The Church Impotent: The Feminization of Christianity; Leon J. Podles, Spence Publishing Co., Dallas, TX, 1999. (The title is a play on the Christian theological terms church militant and church triumphant.)
- Spreading Misandry: The Teaching of Contempt for Men in Popular Culture; Paul Nathanson and Katherine K. Young, McGill-Queen's University Press, Montreal, 2001; ISBN 0-7735-2272-7
- "Feminine" Heterosexual Men: Subverting Heteropatriarchal Sexual Scripts?; Darryl B. Hill, The Journal of Men's Studies, Spring 2006, Men's Studies Press; ISSN 1060-8265
- Re-Thinking Men: Heroes, Villains and Victims; Anthony Synnott, Ashgate, 2009; ISBN 978-0754677093
- The Second Sexism; David Benatar, Wiley-Blackwell, 2012; ISBN 978-0470674512
- Email to the Universe; Robert Anton Wilson, New Falcon Publications, 2008; ISBN 978-1561841943
- Sex Differences, Modern Biology and the Unisex Fallacy, Yves Christen
- Who Stole Feminism? How Women Have Betrayed Women; Christina Hoff Sommers ISBN 0-684-80156-6
- The War Against Boys: How Misguided Feminism Is Harming Our Young Men; Christina Hoff Sommers ISBN 0-684-84956-9
- Domestic Violence: The 12 Things You Aren't Supposed to Know by Thomas B. James ISBN 1-59330-122-7
- Ceasefire! : Why Women And Men Must Join Forces To Achieve True Equality; Cathy Young ISBN 0-684-83442-1
- The Masculine Mystique; Andrew Kimbrell ISBN 0-345-38658-2
References
- ^ a b Nicholas Bunnin; Jiyuan Yu (15 April 2008). "Masculinism". The Blackwell Dictionary of Western Philosophy. John Wiley & Sons. p. 411. ISBN 978-0-470-99721-5.
- ^ a b c d e f Christensen, Ferrell (1995). Ted Honderich (ed.). The Oxford Companion to Philosophy. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-866132-0.
- ^ a b Cathy Young (July 1994). "Man Troubles: Making Sense of the Men's Movement". Reason.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) "Not to worry" there seems to imply that this conception of masculism poses a threat to women, or to the women's movement. A broader conception of the women's movement, however, recognizes that patriarchy is harmful to both men and women, and therefore that prejudice and discrimination against both genders will need to be recognized and redressed. - ^ a b "masculinist, n". Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2011-07-18.
- ^ Arthur Brittan (1989). Masculinity and Power. Wiley. p. 4. ISBN 978-0-631-14167-9. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
Masculinism is the ideology that justifies and naturalizes male domination. As such it is the ideology of patriarchy. Masculinism takes it for granted that there is a fundamental difference between men and women, it assumes that heterosexuality is normal, it accepts without question the sexual division of labour, and it sanctions the political and dominant role of men in the public and private spheres
- ^ Georgia Duerst-Lahti (2008). "Gender Ideology:masculinism and femininalism". In Goertz, Gary; Mazur, Amy (eds.). Politics, gender, and concepts : theory and methodology. Cambridge University Press. pp. 159–192. ISBN 978-0-521-72342-8.
{{cite book}}:|first2=missing|last2=(help) - ^ Dupuis-Déri, Francis (2009). "Le " masculinisme " : une histoire politique du mot (en anglais et en français)". Recherches féministes. 22 (2): 97. doi:10.7202/039213ar. ISSN 0838-4479.
- ^ Nicholas Davidson (1988). The failure of feminism. Prometheus Books, Publishers. pp. 274–. ISBN 978-0-87975-408-2.
- ^ Gunhild Hoogensen; Bruce Olav Solheim (2006). Women in power: world leaders since 1960. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 21–. ISBN 978-0-275-98190-7.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Melissa Blais and Francis Dupuis-Déri. "Masculinism and the Antifeminist Countermovement." Social Movement Studies: Journal of Social, Cultural and Political Protest 11:1 (2012): 21–39.
- ^ a b Warren Farrell, The Myth of Male Power: Why Men Are the Disposable Sex (NY: Simon & Schuster, 1993; ISBN 0-671-79349-7).
- ^ iol.co.za
- ^ "Just who are men's rights activists?", BBC, 2 May 2012
- ^ Janet M. Martin and Maryanne Borrelli, Other Elites: Women, Politics, & Power in the Executive Branch (Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2000; ISBN 1-55587-971-3, ISBN 978-1-55587-971-6).
- ^ Susan B. Boyd; Dorothy E. Chunn; Hester Lessard (2007). Reaction and resistance: feminism, law, and social change. UBC Press. pp. 65–97. ISBN 978-0-7748-1411-9.
- ^ a b Barbara Risman, "Gender as a Social Structure: Theory Wrestling with Activism." Gender & Society 18.4 (2004): 429–450.
- ^ Susan A. Basow, Gender Stereotypes and Roles (Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole, 1992).
External links
- American Coalition for Fathers and Children
- Equal Parental Rights for Fathers
- National Coalition of Free Men
