Article slanted against Men in Power

JAMIE L.

though subtle, I think he's right

NOAH E

1. The author of the recent maroon article did in fact attend the men in power event (although the author of the above letter did not).

2. The idea of a "men's advocacy group" is unsettling for the same reason as a "white advocacy group" or a "straight advocacy group": these groups do not need advocacy to achieve equal opportunities in society. They are handed these opportunities; they do not suffer from historical injustice or degrading stereotypes. Advocacy for them means augmenting, not diminishing, their privileged position. The name "Men in Power" is an overt reference to this, as most positions of power are occupied by men. The MiP boards blinking incomprehension at this asymmetry, like a white person complaining about the absence of White History Month, is whats truly offensive, more than their tone-deaf choice of name or their ridiculous list of male grievances (a hiring imbalance of gender studies professors? should we circulate a petition demanding affirmative action in the gender studies department so that fewer female gender studies professors get tenure?)

JON

The problem as I see it lies in the fact that many cannot grasp that the majority needs any sort of advocacy or support. However, in the modern age of minority advantage, perhaps this is just what society needs.

Let us observe recent admissions data from MIT. The general admission rate is about 10%, whereas the female admit rate hangs around 30% and the under-represented minority admit rate is about 30-40%. Ultimately, this means that males of Caucasian or Asian descent have admit rates below 10%, a 20-30% difference from their female/minority peers.

While plenty of people have praised this action, very few people dare to question it. And those who do question it are severely criticized (often for being racist or sexist). We should definitely take MIT's word that minority and female applicants are considerably more qualified than male ORM applicants, right? They are, after all, MIT and we, after all, are normal, unintelligent citizens who cannot make proper deductions and should take our overlord's word for it.

What has puzzled me is that up to this point, there has been very little movement for the advocacy of the rights of the majority. No one has stopped to think that maybe, just maybe, hiring less qualified people over more qualified people because of sexual characteristics or skin color is, well, wrong. That it's okay because we're dealing with a minority group, and diversity is all that is right and good in the world. I once heard someone say that those companies and universities that advocate diversity are the ones least likely to understand it. We should not be looking for diversity in the marketplace or in our higher educational systems. We should be looking for equality. And this is exactly what majority advocacy can and should contribute.

When questioning is forbidden, no progress can be made. Questions and criticisms should be made from both sides. We're from the University of Chicago. We should understand this already.

GALEN

I think Evan misunderstands the meaning of the 'feminist majority.' While there may be some feminists who actually view rights as a 'zero-sum game,' the purpose of most advocacy groups is to demonstrate the validity of their views by showing that they are actually held by a substantial number of people. Given that feminists, gay-rights advocates and others are often cast as political radicals who are out of touch with the core constituencies of the groups they intend to represent, it seems like a legitimate goal to create a more inclusive movement where being labeled a feminist is desirable for a majority of people. I think that there is nothing wrong with creating a similar advocacy group for men. Indeed, the issues of drug abuse and high rates of suicide among men seem to demand attention. However, the focus of Men In Power would be better directed towards drawing attention to these issues, rather than responding to criticism of its name. The risk of drawing attention to your name is that your group's identity will be defined by your detractors before you have actually accomplished anything. In the long run, I don't think many students will be interested in an advocacy group whose core accomplishment is starting a debate about political correctness.

SQUIRRELMAN

I attended the meeting and I only want to talk about one thing.

When the president of this organization was giving the audience the "ridiculous list of male grievances," a couple of the protesters in the audience laughed when he mentioned testicular cancer. I personally found that highly offensive, as a family member of mine is currently suffering the very same disease.

If I even chuckled at the mention of ovarian cancer or breast cancer in a feminist group meeting, my life is over. Over, with no exaggeration. We strive for a gender neutral society, but that has led to a reverse inequality among the sexes. I think that is the problem this organization is trying address.

SAMUEL S

Noah, I find that your claim that groups like men do not need advocacy because they are already okay is just an attempt to tell yourself that everything is fine when in reality these people do have real issues that need addressing, just the same as all other groups do. The fact that they are advantaged in some areas (and indeed perhaps in more than most) does not mean that they are fine in all. I would even contend that a comparison of Men in Power with other advocacy groups is completely unwarranted.

First off, you would argue that a group on campus that exists for the sake of female advocacy needs to, since these groups are underrepresented in the world of business and the like. What does that matter? The goal of MiP is NOT to circulate ill-will or anti-feminist or anti-minority feelings. One of the points is to allow young men to grow and expand and challenge themselves. The idea is that when a television ad airs talking about all women can do, the same treatment is not extended to men. They are expected to find their own way, or to find comfort in gender-neutral messages. That seems very hypocritical.

Secondly, just like there exists an image of the female, there exists a contemporary image of the male which is highly unfair and unrealistic and is very isolating on the whole. There is no reason time should not be taken to discuss these important issues on the male side of the fence, just as the same time is taken to talk about these highly critical issues to the concept of female.

For example: when I say 'nurse,' your mind instantly shoots to, what, a male? No? It's a female, right? What about a day-care teacher? What about, as you suggest, a gender studies professor? True, if I said a different position generally associated with more pay and prestige, it may look different - but then, why is that? And why can't men strive for these levels without being emasculated socially? These are concerns that are just as important for men as women, and I see no way for a critical dialogue to take place without a male perspective being introduced, as I would hope Men in Power would do.

Thirdly, this group tackles (or should tackle) issues confronting all men. Every type of man, be he of any race, creed, or sexual orientation, has issues and conflicts to face. A group like this allows these different men to find common ground and to find strength in heterogeneity and promote cooperation and tolerance among all of these groups.

Finally, there is the issue of fatherhood today. In 16% of divorce cases, women receive custody of the children; when both parents file for sole custody, 45% of women get it, 11% of men get it, and the rest go to joint; when she requests sole custody and he requests joint, the scales are 2-to-1 in her favor. Why is this? Some would argue that the role of fatherhood has become highly problematic and confounded. I would agree. Taking time to critically discuss the role of fatherhood and investigate what roles a father must fulfill for his children, for his partner, and for his familial unit (especially when taken in combination with the professional lifestyle) should definitely be on this organization’s laundry list of tasks.

This is the first time I’ve ever felt like an organization has arisen with the intent and capabilities of addressing these issues. Sadly, I was unable to attend the first meeting, but I was certain to sign up with this group as soon as I had heard about them. If I am to find that they are a misogynistic bunch of cigar-smoking old-boys-club types, well, then I will be quite disappointed to find that my hopes are ill-founded. But, somehow, I think not. Somehow, I think that this group will actually exist to confront issues facing the male today and to actually assess why we are as we are.

LIZ

I think Noah's comment really misunderstands the purpose of Men in Power. Name of the group aside, there is no question that there are certain aspects of society that are slanted against men. Men die younger, are much less likely to gain parental rights, and are historically excluded from certain professions. This does not mean that women don't have their own list of grievances. As a female, I am full aware that sexual assault is far more likely to affect me. However, would it hurt to have a group that discusses male on male rape, a crime that is drastically under-reported? Of course not. The group is not intended to deny the realities of sexism against women, but also to raise concerns about sexism against men. One does not have to compete with the other.

Ultimately, I think gender specific groups are probably not productive. Testicular cancer afflicts men, obviously also dramatically impacts the women in his life. Sexual assault is mostly targeted at women, but that woman is someone's mother or sister. These issues should not be gendered. Men can be feminists, just like women should believe in equal treatment for men. But until that day, I can see no harm in supporting a group that focuses on issues that are otherwise left unaddressed.

TC

Liz, sexual assaults affect men not just because the women who are targeted by these attacks are their mothers, sisters, wives, and daughters, but because men are almost always the perpetrators. Yes, men can also be sexually assaulted, but even in that case, the perpetrators are overwhelmingly male. In everything I've read about the group, Men in Power has no intention of addressing this disturbing reality.

I would personally love to see Men in Power address social and emotional issues such as physical and sexual violence. It is unfortunate that the U of C doesn't have a group like One in Four (see http://www.oneinfourusa.org/ and http://www.student.virginia.edu/~1in4/), which is a men's group that focuses on preventing rape and supporting rape survivors.

For the record, the reason why men commit suicide at a higher rate than women has nothing to do with men being more suicidal than women. Men choose to attempt suicide through more violent (and more successful) ways than women. Stopping this culture of violence, especially since it has become inseparable from the very notion of masculinity, seems like it would be the best way to empower men and help society as a whole.

On another note, I hope the Maroon will do more to acknowledge the healthy men's organizations that we already have on campus, like Chicago Men's A Capella (http://www.cmacsings.com/) and Men in Service (http://ucsc.uchicago.edu/pages/meninservice.html). They might not be RSOs, but they do exist.

ANONYMOUS

From Marilyn Frye's 1983 essay "Oppression":

"One is marked for application of oppressive pressures by one’s membership in some group or category. Much of one’s suffering and frustration befalls on partly or largely because one is a member of that category. In the case at hand, it is the category, woman. Being a woman is a major factor in my not having a better job than I do; being a woman selects me as a likely victim of sexual assault or harassment; it is my being a woman that reduces the power of my anger to a proof of my insanity. If a woman has little or no economic or political power, or achieves little of what she wants to achieve, a major causal factor in this is that she is a woman. For any woman of any race or economic class, being a woman is significantly attached to whatever disadvantages and deprivations she suffers, be they great or small.

None of this is the case with respect to a person’s being a man. Simply being a man is not what stands between him and a better job; whatever assaults and harassment he is subject to, being male is not what selects him for victimization; being male is not a factor which could make his anger impotent – quite the opposite. If a man has little or no material or political power, or achieves little of what he wants to achieve, his being male is not part of the explanation. Being male is something he has going for him, even if race or class or age or disability is going against him.

Women are oppressed, as women. Members of certain racial and/or economic groups and classes, both the males and the females, are oppressed as members of those races and/or classes. But men are not oppressed as men."

MORE:

http://www.unbeknownst.org/oppress.htm

JAY HAMMERS

"Liz, sexual assaults affect men not just because the women who are targeted by these attacks are their mothers, sisters, wives, and daughters, but because men are almost always the perpetrators." What an interesting thing to say.

Statistics indicate that there are more men raped in U.S. prisons than non-incarcerated women similarly assaulted. I find it rather telling that you don't even acknowledge that more men are victims of sexual assault than women. In fact, you marginalize male victims of sexual assault by implying that they don't matter because the perpetrators are often men. How is that at all relevant?

"I would personally love to see Men in Power address social and emotional issues such as physical and sexual violence." Oh, I think they will. After all, men are victims of physical and sexual violence more often than women. The Violence Against Women Act discriminates against males. Furthermore, false accusations of rape against men are rampant.

If you knew anything about the men's rights movement you'd realize that violence and sexual assault are two of the key areas. Open your eyes.

JAY HAMMERS

"But men are not oppressed as men." Tell that to the countless men who have died in war due to male-only military conscription. The ultimate oppression is death. Open your eyes. Do a search for "men's rights" on google.

TC

Unlike some people, I don't blame ANY victim of sexual assault. It is always the perpetrator's fault. Period. My point was that the perpetrators are usually men (a fact that was not mentioned) and it would be beneficial to BOTH men and women (as targets of sexual assault and as human beings) to focus on stopping those commit these atrocious violations and on supporting survivors. But of course, the go-to rebuttal is that men are falsely accused of rape. The vast majority of rape (whether of men, women, or children) is not reported due to social stigma or emotional trauma; is not investigated or prosecuted; or results in a completely inadequate sentence. Two wrongs don't make a right.

Furthermore, I find your statistic to be both factually impossible and suspiciously unclear ("similarly assualted?"). Furthermore, if 1 in 4 women is sexually assaulted in her life (and molestation can be just as mentally and emotionally devastating as rape), that would imply that more than 1 in 4 men are imprisoned, which is simply untrue (in the U.S. it's more like 1 in 100). That claim aside, I agree that rape in prisons is completely, unfairly overlooked (for men AND women). Addressing the emotional and social problems of contemporary masculinity (instead of male financial woes) would help immensely in removing the shame and breaking the silence.

Also, I make no claims about the men's rights movement in my argument. My criticism is for the group Men in Power. Its purported aims are professional advancement, not preventing violence. In all sincerity, I hope they do address these issues and acknowledge their privileged position as men already in power (especially as students of this school), rather than use their unfortunate name to provoke controversy. And before you make any further attempts to "open [my] eyes," I have nothing against helping to advance human rights causes that benefit men--I only wish that women and other subaltern groups were just as included in the definition of "human." Men admitting to their privilege does not make them less deserving of rights (nor does it give away their rights); it simply makes it easier for the rest of us to claim those same rights for ourselves.

REALIST, MA

The very reaction of outrage at, God forbid, a single male advocacy group on a single college campus underscores the need for Men In Power and other groups like it to be created and built upon. I commend the men who created the group and men and women who join it. Don't let the anti-male establishment bully you into silence, go forth and recruit more members and mentor young men like yourselves to help them establish successful careers and become successful fathers.

PHIL UNDERWOOD

It's too bad that this is getting so much press.
In the end, it's just a way for people who don't much understand how the real world works to take cheap shots at what they perceive as the overbearing injustice of political correctness. I guarantee that if everyone just ignored this ridiculous organisation it would disappear within a few weeks.

NICK

FYI, graduation rates for medical schools in the US as of 2008 are now 50-50 (AAMC data). Male graduates have decreased by 700 over the last five years. The school I'm at is 30 males, 70 females in first year, so pretty sure the male-dominated profession of medicine won't be lasting for much longer. Oh yeah, and those ivy-league schools that are dominated by males? They have a light bias towards females at around 52%-48%.

MARC

Historically, both men and women were limited and discriminated against by gender roles. Men have been systematically discrimination against in child custody, forced labor laws, military conscription, domestic violence policies, criminal sentencing, public health policies, public benefits, genital intactment laws, paternity laws, nursing school admission, dating expectations, and more. Men account for 80-90% of job deaths, homeless adults, prisoners, combat deaths, and suicide deaths, are the majority of dropouts and special education students, and die younger and more often than women for the ten leading causes of death. Warren Farrell, Ph.D., “The Myth of Male Power; Why Men Are the Disposable Sex.” Below is a summary of men’s rights issues, followed by links to articles on the growing, global men’s rights movement worldwide.

Those who focus only on gender disparities at the top of society (government, CEOs) tend to ignore the bottom of society, where men make 80-90% of homeless, job deaths, incarcerations, the majority of dropouts, suicide deaths, etc., 99% of combat deaths, and die younger and more often for the ten leading causes of death. The only reason for the disparity at the top is that women have more options than men to be primary parents instead of having to slave away at high stress, high hour jobs, and they exercise that choice. That is the only reason for the “pay gap,” which only looks at yearly incomes and doesn’t account for overtime (90% male), commute times, hour flexibility, etc. See this report with a forward by the Dept. of Labor. http://www.consad.com/content/reports/Gender%20Wage%20Gap%20Final%20Report.pdf

FATHERS

Fathers have historically been discriminated against in child custody proceedings. The “tender years” doctrine, which presumes that during a child's tender years (generally regarded as age 13 and under), the custody of the child should be that of the mother's, was written right into the law during the 19th Century. It has been replaced by the “best interests of the child” doctrine, but it is still alive and well in family law. As late as 1971, the Minnesota State Bar Association's handbook advised lawyers and judges that "except in very rare cases, the father should not have custody of the minor children. He is usually unqualified psychologically and emotionally.” Time Magazine, 11 November 2003, "Father Makes Two" by Margot Roosevelt. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101011119-183968,00.html

Dads usually ask for 50% custody while moms ask for and usually get 80% custody. Fathers are relegated to visitors and must pay high child support with hardly any enforcement of their parenting time. False accusations are rarely prosecuted and are often used to gain an upper hand in divorce and custody. See, Sanford Braver, Ph.D., "Divorced Dads; Shattering the Myths." See also, "Cynthia McNeeley, "Lagging Behind the Times, Parenthood, Custody and Gender Bias in the Family Court," http://www.law.fsu.edu/journals/lawreview/downloads/254/mcneely.pdf

An Urban Institute study entitled "What About the Dads?" found that CPS case workers attempted to contact fathers of children at risk in their mothers care only a little over half the time. That was true even though they knew the father's identity in 86% of cases. http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/06/cw-involve-dads/rs.htm

Fathers are also frequently subjected to false accusations in order to gain an advantage in divorce. The California State Bar has expressed deep concern about the rising abuse of restraining orders in divorce. http://www.cafcusa.org/docs/family-law-news_TRO_RO_Pages%2026thru30_Vol27-Number4_2005-1.pdf

MEN'S HEALTH

Men die younger than women and have higher death rates than women for the ten leading causes of death.

http://www.menshealthnetwork.org/library/TopCausesDeath2000.pdf Men account for 80-90% of homeless adults, job deaths and suicide deaths. They make the majority of special education students and are more likely to skip a grade or drop out of high school. Almost every chronic illness affects men more often than women. Men more often have mental disabilities but are less often treated. The American Journal of Public Health (5/03) has declared that men are in a silent health crisis.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/9475.php
But men’s health has nonetheless been neglected. There are 7 federal offices of women’s health and similar offices at every level of government but no offices of men’s health except one in Georgia. Among cancer funding, breast cancer gets by far the most, to the point where it is known as a horde of existing cancer funds. For decades, the National Cancer Institute spent about four times more on breast cancer research than on prostate cancer research.

http://www3.cancer.gov/public/factbk97/varican.htm. Men’s Health Magazine did an entire story on how all other government sources, including the Department of Defense, have funded breast cancer at far higher and disproportionate rates compared to prostate cancer.

It is frequently claimed that women were excluded from medical testing. This is complete exaggeration and has been refuted by Dr. Sally Satel of Yale University and others. Young C, Satel S. M.D., “The Myth of Gender Bias in Medicine”; Satel S: PC, M.D.:, “How Political Correctness is Corrupting Medicine.” Historically, women participated in 95% of NIH clinical trials going back to the early 1970s. Men have historically been underrepresented in research on cancer, reproductive health, and sex hormones. In the past, gender representation in medical research was approximately equal. Now, men represent only 37% of participants in NIH funded research, and gender-specific budgets favor women by more than a 2:1 margin. See this report by Men’s Health America.
http://www.backlash.com/content/gender/2000/12dec00/acfc1200.html

CRIMINAL SENTENCING

The most recent research on criminal sentencing shows that men still get higher penalties than women. Seattle Times, “State courts unfair to men, minorities, UW study suggests,” http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/PrintStory.pl?document_id=2008782782&zsection_id=2003925728&slug=courtstudy25m&date=20090225

This confirms what previous studies have found, which is that men get higher sentences than women for the same crime even when all other factors are equal (age, race, priors, family situation, etc.), and that "gender differences, favoring women, are more often found than race differences, favoring whites.” (Crime and Delinquency, 1989, v 35, pp 136-168.)

A study published in Justice Quarterly in 1986 found that, for the same felony, being male increased the chance of incarceration by 165% (being black increased the chance 19%).

The gender of the victim matters as well. A drunk driver will receive an average of a 3-year higher sentence for killing a female than for killing a male (compared to a 2-year higher sentence for killing a white instead of a black). (“Unconventional Wisdom,” Washington Post, Sept. 7, 2000.) Researchers Edward Glaeser (Harvard) and Bruce Sacerdote (Dartmouth) examined 2,800 homicide cases randomly drawn from 33 urban counties by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and found killing a female instead of a male increased sentences by 40.6% (compared to 26.8% for killing a white instead of a black).

FORCED LABOR

For years, the Forced Labour Convention of 1930 exempted "able-bodied males" between ages 18 and 45 from the ban on slavery and forced labor. See Article 11 at http://www.ilo.org/ilolex/cgi-lex/convde.pl?C029 Male slaves are frequently ignored by human rights laws and policies. http://nationmultimedia.com/2007/05/14/headlines/headlines_30034148.php Male slaves in China have trouble getting their slavemasters prosecuted because only women are protected from slavery. www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-06/15/content_895414.htm

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Male victims of domestic violence are systematically neglected, stigmatized, and denied outreach and services. But they are not rare at all. They're less likely to report it, which makes crime data unreliable. Virtually all sociological survey data consistently shows women initiate domestic violence at least as often as men and that men suffer one-third of injuries. http://www.csulb.edu/~mfiebert/assault.htm

Harvard Medical School just announced a study showing half of heterosexual domestic violence is reciprocal and women initiate most of the reciprocal and 70% of the non-reciprocal violence. http://www.patienteducationcenter.org/aspx/HealthELibrary/HealthETopic.aspx?cid=M0907d

A recent 32-nation study by the University of New Hampshire, which found women are as violent and as controlling as men in relationships globally, in both rich and poor nations. http://www.unh.edu/news/cj_nr/2006/may/em_060519male.cfm?type=n

The federal Violence Against Women Act, though mostly gender-neutral, has some provisions that expressly discriminate against men, such as the entire Native American section that excludes American Indian men. Even the title itself stigmatizes and downplays the seriousness of male victims. We don't have a "Men's Occupational Safety and Health Act" just because 92% of occupational deaths happen to men. http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cfoi.t04.htm

MALE RAPE VICTIMS

Historically, many anti-rape laws have expressly excluded male victims of rape from the same protections women receive. In England, funding for sex abuse victims is often denied for male victims. http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/CityandRegion/2007/06/25/4287949-sun.html Recently, the largest study of molestation of street kids in Canada found ¾ of boys on the streets had been molested by women but there were still no programs for the boys, only for girls. http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=604d29af-5999-47ec-a156-0f5bc96954f2 According to the Montreal Gazette, in a study in South African found two-fifths of South African boys say they have been raped, “most often by adult women.” http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=ad3524cc-6076-4bc2-a015-23860553bd04

Male victims are frequently raped in prison and the military, but sometimes are raped elsewhere as well, and not just by men. A student survey showed 43% of teacher sex abuse comes from female teachers but over 90% of prosecutions are of male teachers. http://www.newsobserver.com/672/story/501955.html
Many African men in Namibia are being raped and battered by women http://allafrica.com/stories/200708210872.html

Men are also frequently victims of “sexual coercion” by women as well as by other men. (Sexuality and Culture, Summer 2000.) According to a May 2008 study by the University of New Hampshire, 28% of college women and 11% of college men experienced unwanted sexual contact and the perpetrator was a member of the opposite sex 98% of the time for girls and 91% of the time for boys. See Table 1 at http://www.unh.edu/news/docs/2006unwantedsexualexperiences.pdf

FALSE ACCUSATIONS OF RAPE

Almost every month we read of another man let free by DNA after years of incarceration due to a false rape accusation. http://falserapesociety.blogspot.com/ False accusations of rape are a form of psychological rape that are not included in the traditional definition of “rape” but that affect men more than women.

False accusations are hard to measure statistically. But studies show between 9% and 60% of rape accusations are false. http://glennsacks.com/blog/?page_id=1334 A new study in India found that 18% of rape accusations are false and are often "coached." http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Delhi/18_rape_cases_false_Study/articleshow/3910217.cms

The U.S. Air Force study found 60% of rape accusations were false and the most common reasons for false rape accusations were: (1) spite or revenge; (2) feelings of guilt or shame; or, (3) to cover up an affair. Mental illness also played a role. McDowell, Charles P., Ph.D. “False Allegations.” Forensic Science Digest, (publication of the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations), Vol. 11, No. 4 (December 1985), p. 64.

But false accusations are not studied enough because it's politically incorrect to talk about. Meanwhile the names of the accusers are often protected while the names of the accused are not.

MILITARY CONSCRIPTION

Males throughout the world are forced to fight wars, often at very young ages, while women are exempt. In the U.S., only males must register by the age of 18, and a large percentage of them have been drafted before they were even old enough to vote. The Vietnam Memorial has 58,000 male names and 8 female names. Women leaders have supported or declared wars, and women in the population have supported wars at almost the same rate men have. For example, 76% of women and 86% of men supported the U.S. military attack in Kuwait and Iraq during the Gulf War. During the White Feather Campaign in England, women gave a white feather to men who refused to fight in WWI, to humiliate them and as a sign of their unmanliness.

THE "PAY GAP"

The "pay gap" is just a snapshot of yearly incomes.
It does not account for overtime (which is about 90% male), the type of work done, or other important factors that, when accounted for, make the gap disappear. See Prof. June O'Neill, Ph.D. (former director of Congressional Budget Office), "The Gender Gap in Wages, circa 2000," American Economic Review, 5/03.

In fact, the “pay gap” has been thoroughly refuted by a number of studies including this recent one that was funded by the Department of Labor and has a forward from them. http://www.consad.com/content/reports/Gender%20Wage%20Gap%20Final%20Report.pdf

In “Why Men Earn More, Warren Farrell, Ph.D. shows that there are 25 career/life choices men and women make (hours, commute times) that lead to men earning more and women having more balanced lives, and that men in surveys prioritize money while women prioritize flexibility, shorter hours, shorter commutes, less physical risk and other factors conducive to their choice to be primary parents, an option men still largely don't have. That's why never-married childless women outearn their male counterparts, and female corporate directors now outearn their male counterparts. www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN0752118220071107?feedType=R Warren Farrell lists dozens of careers, including science fields, where women outearn men.

Women have more options than men to be primary parents, and many of them exercise that option rather than work long, stressful hours. One study found 57% of female graduates of Stanford and Harvard left the workforce within 15 years. http://edition.cnn.com/2005/BUSINESS/03/15/optout.revolution/ This is an option few men have (try being a single male and telling women on the first date that you want to stay home). The pay gap only looks at yearly incomes but doesn’t account for these options or for overtime (90% male), commutes, flexibility, physical risk, etc.

Men are increasingly learning that the breadwinner role is more of a burden than a privilege. Studies show most men have no problem with their wives outearning them. Recent studies show most men do not mind if their spouses outearn them. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23413243 Studies also show that parents share workloads more when mother’s learn to allow men to be primary or more involved parents. http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-05-04-equal-parenting_N.htm According to one study, up to 75% of working dads would quit or take a pay cut to spend more time with kids if their spouse’s could support the family. http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/Careers/06/13/dads.work/index.html
See also:
ABC News: "Is the Wage Gap Women's Choice? Research Suggests Career Decisions, Not Sex Bias, Are at Root of Pay Disparity" http://abcnews.go.com/2020/GiveMeABreak/story?id=797045&page=1&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312
http://money.cnn.com/2007/06/04/magazines/fortune/muphy_payact.fortune/index.htm
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23413243

THE "HOUSEWORK" MYTH

A recent 25-nation study by economists from Berlin, Brussels and Texas, which included rich and poor nations, found men do as much work as women when all types of work are combined. http://www.slate.com/id/2164268/
A University of Maryland study found the total workloads of married mothers and fathers is roughly equal when paid work is added to child care and housework, at 65 hours a week for mothers and 64 hours for fathers.
http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007204060320

A University of Michigan study found women work an average of 11 hours more housework per week more than men while men an average of 14 hours per week more than women outside the home.

GENITAL INTACMENT

The male foreskin is a highly-functioning sexual organ, not just a piece of skin. In a new study published in the British Journal of Urology International, scientists used fine-touch medical instruments on the male penis found that male circumcision removes the most sensitive part of the penis. (Morris L. Sorrells, James L. Snyder, Mark D. Reiss, Christopher Eden, Marilyn F. Milos, Norma Wilcox, Robert S. Van Howe, "Fine-touch pressure thresholds in the adult penis," British Journal of Urology International, v. 99, issue 4, p. 864, April 2007.) http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/03/990302063210.htm The full study is posted at
http://www.nocirc.org/touch-test/bju_6685.pdf

Prior studies on this issue – which had mixed results – were unreliable because they were based upon self-reports of men who were either circumcised as adults for medical purposes or were circumcised as children and could not compare the difference. One of the study's authors, Dr. Robert Van Howe, explains that the male foreskin is concentrated with high-sensory nerve endings that are only found in our eyelids, lips and fingertips.

The male foreskin is also gynecologically equivalent to the removal of the clitoral hood, one of three forms of female circumcision that is banned by international and human rights laws. See Darby, R. and Svoboda, J. S., 'A rose by any other name?; rethinking the similarities and differences between male and female genital cutting,' Medical Anthropology Quarterly (2007), Vol. 21, Issue 3, pp. 301-323.

Yet infant male circumcision is still routinely practiced even though the American Board of Pediatrics has said there is no medical purpose for routine infant circumcision.

MEN’S RIGHTS MOVEMENTS ARE GROWING WORLDWIDE

INDIA
http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=20071203&fname=Husband+(F)&sid=1
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Chennai/Mens_groups_rise_against_DVA_misuse/articleshow/3391362.cms
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1190494
http://in.news.yahoo.com/43/20080625/812/tnl-as-renuka-fights-for-women-men-alleg.html

MEXICO (men's rights march in Mexico City) www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZcIL93nTOY

KENYA http://ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=20858
http://www.africanews.com/site/Kenya_15m_men_suffer_domestic_abuse/list_messages/25041
http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/602726/-/item/0/-/6313roz/-/index.html

SOUTH AFRICA http://www.dailytimes.bppmw.com/article.asp?ArticleID=10548

ENGLAND www.iht.com/articles/2005/09/14/opinion/edtaylor.php

IRELAND http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/1222/1229728440856.html

SCOTLAND http://www.dunfermlinepress.com/

HAWAII http://www.akamaiuniversity.us/MensStudies.html

UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-u-of-c-mens-groupmay19,0,4707353.story

AUSTRALIA http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,24289828-953,00.html

ALPHA PHI ALPHA FRATERNITY (African-American Fraternity asks for a White House Commission on Men and Boys) http://apa1906.net/PressNewsDetails.php?newsID=90&newsCat=Press%20Release

NORWAY http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article1924493.ece

SINGAPORE http://tomorrow.sg/archives/2009/05/01/singapore_mens_rights_watch.html

A MAN

You are all losing any sense of understanding. Men in power should not exist. The plight of men does not even compare the plight of women. Stop being ignorant.

JANE

For the most part, men are a hot mess and need all the help and empowerment they can get. They need community, apart from sports, to address their deep seated anger. Go MiP!

TERRI

Feminist styled (man bad, woman good) bias in the media is common. I observe it in articles, television shows, movies, news, and more.

Evan, expect hostility and low approval ratings from friends, family, employers, your school administrators, teachers, and acquaintances.

A man supporting a man is unacceptable in the U.S.A. today. But the truth is iron sharpens iron. Keep up the good work.

LANCESMITH

One of my favorite quotes when concerning the men's movement is:

“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” --Mahatma Gandhi

Seeing some of these comments, I see why the men's movement must exist. By these same comments, it appears that we are somewhere between laugh and fight.

Keep up the good fight MiP! I sure wish such an organization existed when I was in college.

IIESBETH

The real lesson I have garnered from watching the reaction of feminists to this organizations upstart, is that the whole cannard of who is suffering from fragile egos and is threatened are the feminists. The idea that the construct of gender and masculinity might slip from their control scares the dickens out of them.

We have enjoyed the privilege of defining masculinism, and men for decades, and often incorrectly and in ways that have been quite unfortunate and sexist in and of themselves. This has all come on the heels of subsidies and taxpayer funds, so that these ideas fail to accurately reflect the male experience eventually leads to men taking a stance to define themselves for themselves without asking for the tacit acceptance of feminists, and they have demonstrated with vigor, they are pissed about losing this female privilege.

RYAN

women have there studies group so men should have theirs its only fair and the people arguing against it are most likely feminists who just want preferential treatement for women. good job MiP and dont listen to any of these man hating witches

BRETT FREEMAN

This is all so interesting because I was a master's degree student in the one-year MAPSS program at the University of Chicago in 2004-05. My master's thesis was about the topic of men's rights. I struggled so much during that year (and the subsequent year when I finally submitted my thesis), in large part because I couldn't find any advisors who could even understand the concept.

I eventually had to find a professor far removed from the gender studies program because my original faculty advisor basically told me I was stupid for thinking any of this stuff. This amazes me because I always thought an institution like University of Chicago embraces intellectual debate.

In short, my thesis argued that the men's right movement, specifically represented by the group National Coalition of Free Men, shared an identical political philosophy to various liberal feminists. The only difference was they saw the issues from a different perspective. Whereas feminists saw male conscription as discriminatory against women, the men's rights crowd saw it (for obvious reasons) discriminatory against men.

It was amazing the the supposedly renowned gender studies professor wouldn't even entertain this topic...all at an institution that prides itself on vigorous intellectual debate (apparently only if you stay within the confines of politically correct discourse).