EQ

A guy on the train asked me the other day, “Is there an opposite form of Feminism? Are there Masculinists out there, fighting for men’s rights the same way women do?”

Outside, I smiled snarkily. But inside, I was like:

Yes, there is a faction of people dedicated to attaining and maintaining the rights of American men! They are called Men’s Rights Activists, or MRAs. Where feminism has caught a bad rap for several instances of perceived hypocrisy, MRAs are our mirrors in every way, except predominantly male. Despite the male gender being at the top of the food chain in nearly every industry imaginable, MRAs consider themselves the most oppressed and victimized demographic in middle America.

I’m not discounting the significance of protecting men’s specific rights, mind you. I believe men should have the right to have custody of their children, for example, if the man is the most capable parent for them, instead of those rights automatically going to the mother. Not every woman is bound to be a model parent (I am a prime example, and for the sake of humanity plan on getting my tubes tied), so the tendency for courts to bestow custody to moms almost without trial, on the assumption that she, as a woman, is hardwired to be a mother, is absurd.

But, do we all understand how this is not a specifically male issue? The reason why many courts sway towards the female parent in custody battles is because childcare is primarily seen as a woman’s duty.

Another issue cited by MRAs is that men are seen by society as the “disposable gender,” the ones that go to war and never come back – which concerns me, given the fact that MRAs also tend to be against women serving in the military altogether, claiming them weak, strategically challenged, and incompetent. (Although, biologically speaking, females are not physically built for combat, barring women from service and then complaining that men are the only ones in combat is deserving of another Grumpy Cat.)

Men monopolize careers that have to do with bricklaying, electrical engineering, mechanics, and other lines of work which require power tools and heavy lifting. Y’know, manly-man things. You might spot a woman or two here and there, but not often.

The most female-dominated industries in America involve childcare, homemaking, teaching, and secretarial work. Thankfully, our primary careers actually ask for resumes and no longer require being barefoot or pregnant, but we’re still largely about “taking care” of stuff, from screaming babies to paperwork.

Gender roles are oppressive to everybody, including men. Given that many MRA issues are really just gender role beefs, shouldn’t they be called “Gender Role Activists” instead?