Many Millennial dudes are down with the ideas of girls ruling the world, but some aren’t so sure about all the freebies women are being handed just because of their concave nether regions. After all, couldn’t this all end in ladies controlling all the powerful and prestigious jobs, earning more money for doing the same work as men, and expecting guys to stay home to cook, clean, and put the kids to bed, too? WHERE WILL IT END?
In Peggy Drexler’s latest for The Daily Beast, she claims Millennial males are feeling overlooked because of the in vogue emphasis on empowering women in the workforce. After eons of blatant discrimination against the ladies, some young men believe the business world is overcompensating for past injustices — and with all the girls leaning in (to take their jobs), these guys are wondering who they can lean on for support.
Some see the rise in female power as an “invasion.” They are in a fighting mood, determined to recapture lost territory. Others, [sociologist Michael Kimmel] argues, are largely indifferent to economic and other measures of female progress. For these “masculinists,” it’s about retrieving an “inner sense of their own masculinity.” Many, he says, find it in men’s empowerment groups or in the reaches of cyberspace.
It’s likely that most male Millennials in the workforce fall into Kimmel’s third category. They fall somewhere between “eager embrace and resigned acceptance.” They think it’s right. They think it’s fair. But they are largely along for a “rather apolitical ride.” Their support is rooted in the reality of change.
So, uh, they know the change must and will come — but they’re not really doing anything to hasten its arrival. Which, honestly, fucking sucks. Men in the workplace should be the most vocal proponents of women in the workplace, and I’m sorry, guys, just because YOU weren’t directly involved with keeping women in the kitchen, that doesn’t absolve you from the realities of our ugly past. In fact, it gives you an excellent ethical opportunity to atone for our collective sins — and generally just be an awesome person — by recognizing that you still benefit from a corrupt system, and you’re down to even the playing field.
When Dexler spoke to some young male managers and asked their thoughts on the fairness of women benefitting from things like companies talking openly about hiring more women (because, again, the not hiring women in the not so distant past thing), one guy responded:
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