Changing Views, Roles, and Depictions of Men and Women in Society

Men, for most of history, have been considered the “dominant species” that are stronger both physically and mentally than women. They are supposed to be tougher, more intelligent, and more adept at making money in society. These false and overrated expectations of men grew over a long period where women were pushed aside, denied equal rights such as voting. However, in a modern-day society that has taken large strides towards a discrimination-free nation, times are changing. The “rapidly shifting landscape” of American culture has changed the role of men, altered their expectations, and tipped the scale in the U.S. in favor of the women. The media, which has carved an everlasting image of what it means to be a man or women, needs to be shredded apart in order to accommodate the truth that is a new American culture. In reality, these extremes are simply incorrect in a civilization that is being taken over by women. The problem that is at hand is the need to comfort and assist men in their time of need. This does not mean making men better than women, but rather helping men adapt to the changes in this nation and guiding them to accept this shift in power. After the Great Recession, the men population needs to regain their footing and start contributing again to this society. When there is equal contribution of men and women then that’s when America will reach its greatest heights.

            According to feminist Hannah Rosin, “thinking and communicating have come to eclipse physical strength and stamina as the keys to economic success.” Simply put, there is no longer a need for the strong physical traits of men in today’s intellectually-driven society. Men can no longer be expected to bring in the money for a family when the women are the ones with the jobs. Rosin goes as far to claim that feminist management styles are the most effective and that the most innovative and successful firms are those that promote women. Rather than explain the changing role and end to the dominance of men, she jumps into how women are much more beneficial to companies and much better workers than men are. Her shift from facts and data towards opinion reveals her sway towards the extreme of feminist ideals. It seems like Hannah is more concerned with promoting her opinion on women superiority than anything else.

            Although opinionated, Hannah Rosin is correct in that women now have the majority in the American workforce and are outdoing men in college education. The only obstacle remaining for women is the wage gap, and it will not be long before that disappears as well. Women’s incomes have skyrocketed and so has their role in the overall family income. Probably the single event responsible for the collapse of men was the Great Recession in which men lost three-quarters of the 8 million jobs. This event was the turning point for women in the workforce because it devastated the male working class.

            The result has been the quickly changing role of men. In Andrew Romano and Tony Dokoupil’s Newsweek article “Man Up!”, they explain that since the 1950’s, masculinity expectations have remained the same while women’s have gone through many changes. In the “Macho” man expectation, men are supposed to reel in all the cash and do little to help at home. In a society where women are working more and more, it is crucial that this expectation is altered so that men’s role is broadened to both home and work. However, men’s resistance to change their generic identity to one that involves a more “nurturing” occupation has prevented them from adapting. The fact is that the society expects very little from fathers, and certainly not for the fathers to be nurturing or help around the house. These expectations need to change, and so does the doubly large housework that wives do over husbands. “Being a man” must change from singlehandedly working to support a family towards a collective wife-husband effort to take care of kids, do housework, and have a job. Signs of this change are seen in the support for the idea of “paid paternity leave” as a substitute for maternity leave. Men, now more than ever, must take on an expansion on jobs with the decline of physical labor such as mining and machinist jobs. Women have been able to expand from teachers and nurses towards CEOs and soldiers but men must do the same.

            The challenge that lies before men is the shift in American culture towards favoring girls over boys. This shift is mainly due to girls outperforming boys in school. As explained by Phil Zambardo, the industry of America is supplying isolation mainly to boys. Excess drugs, video games, and internet are causing boys to become more socially awkward and less effective in school. This is clearly favoring girls over guys because girls are less prone to fall to these desires. As a result, more boys drop out of school and more girls get college degrees. Through this process where thinking and communicating are more effective traits that women are mastering, they are taking the advantage over men. Girls are outdoing boys throughout all areas of school, and it is to the American culture and industry’s cadence towards the needs of boys under 18.

            In addition to the changing role of men, the issue of the media in American society is stronger than ever by forever going to the extremes of masculinity and women. TV channels such as MTV have created the Mook and Midriff which involve the one-sided stereotypes of what each gender is supposed to act like and look like. The essential issue is that males are always depicted as crude, loud, and obnoxious whereas girls are consumed by appearance and sex. Theses stereotypes are wrong because they pressure kids, whether boys or girls to conform and adapt to the mold set forth by media such as MTV. Jean Kilbourne, in her “Killing us Softly 4” movie, explains that although part of a girl’s expectations and thinking is genetic, the media is largely influential in affecting women everywhere. Magazines tell women how to look by showing flawless faces and bodies that may be artificially altered. The media is outrageous in that it promotes the dehumanization of women through surgery on women’s breasts or face. Finally, the culmination is seen in that often in music videos or magazines, women become sex objects that show off their bodies. They cause the ordinary women to strive for beauty that is unattainable, which is wrong and immoral.

            Although not as extreme, guys must also conform to what is expected of them in the media. According to Jackson Katz, the media has shifted over time to present a “tough guise” that all men must put on to mask their emotions. Males can no longer show vulnerability and need to fix problems through violence. Though this may be “a real man,” men should be able to be whoever they want to be, whether sensitive or tough. Both the male and female depictions in the media are wrong in that they attempt to force people to be what the media wants them to be. It is essential for all people to either ignore the media’s stereotypes or change them altogether for the better of American culture and society.