The End of Men by Hanna Rosin
Historically, society has been patriarchic. Therefore, women have been treated as second-class citizens. For example, women who were not able to give their husbands a male heir was mistreated and divorced in some cases. Sons were treated as more beneficial as compared to daughters. With such perceptions, biologists like Ronald Ericsson came up with revolutionary scientific discoveries on how to separate the chromosome carrying the male genes and the female genes (Rozin par. 14). The main intent was to increase the birth of more sons as they were the preferred gender. However, such moves threatened the existence of girls.
However, with changes in culture and economics, there has been a decline in the desire for boys and increased demand for girls. When parents envision a child growing up, attending school, and becoming successful, they have a daughter in mind in most cases. I would say this assertion holds due to the emphasis put on women empowerment and the realization that the gender of the child does not make one a lesser human being.
Another factor that I feel has contributed to this aspect is the view that raising a daughter is easier as compared to a son. Women can now walk confidently into fertility clinics and choose females as the preferred sex of their child. However, this shift has led to the decline of the birth of males. This aspect threatens the primary existence of a boy child. As much as women have been sidelined for a long, both genders are important and unique in their ways, and thus empowerment should seek to bridge the gap as opposed to widening it.
The myth of male decline by Stephanie Coontz
There has been a controversial debate over the years on the decline of men due to the emphasis on women’s empowerment (Coontz par. 9). This move has led to the neglect of the boy child. Statistics highlight the seriousness of the situation.
However, I hold that the situation has been blown out of proportion. The decline or the extinction of men is a myth. Women’s empowerment poses no threat to the existence of men. Unlike what many critics hold, women empowerment is not intended to overthrow men, but to cure the traditional discrimination experienced by women. Women are far from holding the societal position that men have held for the longest time in the history of humanity.
The introduction of gender-based affirmative action is meant to boost participation in the social, political, and economic activities in the patriarchal society, as opposed to dethroning men. If women’s empowerment were such a threat to the existence of men, we would be having a good number of matriarchal societies by now, but that is yet to happen. Proponents of arguments that women are now richer as compared to men fail to mention that they reach such a conclusion by comparing highly educated white women with poorly educated Latino men. For such an argument to be treated as valid, its proponents should do a comparison between highly educated white men and their white women counterparts.
In my opinion, the male child is not facing any threats of extinction. What appears as a move to dethrone men and facilitate their extinction is an attempt by the same men to lift women from the cage of discrimination where they have been captives for long. Men are still in control and they could easily subdue women anytime.
Works Cited
Coontz, Stephanie. âThe Myth of Male Decline.â The New York Times. 2012. Web.
Rosin, Hanna. âThe End of Men.â The Atlantic. 2010. Web.