The End of Men? The Atlantic Monthly Reports on One of Its 14 3/4 Biggest Ideas of the Year!

Hanna Rosin, Atlantic Monthly associate editor, is the author of a highly entertaining and certainly controversial stance taken in this article. She begins with the very interesting story of the scientific journey of Ronald Ericsson, a biologist who, forty years ago, separated sperm by sex, thus offering potential parents the hope they could choose the sex of their baby. After many years and many promises, his scientific methodology did not pan out as he had predicted. But what he did learn from following patients who came to his clinics was that one gender would be requested over the other. And that it would be women directing these choices, and they were overwhelmingly asking for girls.

Notwithstanding the possibility that Ericsson’s observations of what was happening at his clinics may be biased, Rosin further points to Ericsson’s observations of his own grandchildren’s achievements “as good an illustration of the rapidly shifting landscape as any other.” The girls are all accomplished and thriving, while he submits that the boys are lucky to just stay afloat. Again, another anecdote, which, may or may not provide proof, that the status for some women has changed the status for all women.

While it would be difficult to argue that girls and women have not realized a new status and with it new opportunities, it would be equally difficult to proclaim, without some sense of foolishness, that this portends the “end of men.” First, who would want to live in a world where men were as oppressed as we women have been for centuries? I wouldn’t. I want my men, my husband and my son, to thrive and contribute and to be the best they can be. And to do this with strong wives and mothers of their children. After all, achievement is not a zero sum game.

Second, while most of us here in the United States have conceptually bought into the equality of men and women, there is a lag between what we have accepted in our consciousness and what we still experience in the trenches. In my field, where 30% of women are physicians, positions of leadership and power are still dominated by men. Pay inequity is much greater (33 cents on a dollar) than the national average of 23 cents on a dollar. And women (and increasingly men) are juggling more balls than they need to or want to when it comes to participating in fulfilling, well-rounded lives.

The entrance of women into the global playing field is very, very important. It is necessary if we are to compete and claim our success. Implementing solutions to all of the various problems that face societies today throughout the world will take as much talent as we can find, no matter what sex. What has ended is the false belief that men can do this alone without substantive help from women, women who are engaged and are ready for full deployment.

Facilitating women’s success is very important. And while we re-adjust our priorities and expectations, we must be wary of less than full inclusion of women. And we must do it without diminishing the considerable force of men. Thus, I do not think that it is in our best collective interests to proclaim the “end of men.” After all, who will we have to dominate?