THE MYTH OF MALE POWER:
21st-Anniversary Edition
By Dr Warren Farrell
Kindle Edition. 15272 KB. 408 pages. £5.22
ASIN B00IDHV5EM (also available as a book)
Let me make something clear right from the start. I do not regard this as a Christian book. There are some references to Scripture, but I do not always agree with the author’s interpretation.
What this book does is to raise important questions about men, women, power and justice. It is not uncommon to hear that we live in a male-dominated society. The rules, we are told, are made by men and for men. Old boy networks run the show. This seems to be the position taken by most Gender Studies courses in our universities.
Deaths at work
But, as this book points out, the least desirable jobs (e.g. welder, boilermaker, sheet-metal worker) are almost exclusively done by men. It is also mostly men who do the most dangerous jobs (e.g. fire-fighting, logging, construction). Not surprisingly, men account for the vast majority of deaths at work.
It is well known that men usually die younger than women. But, the author argues, this is only true in postindustrial societies. He discusses how industrialisation affected both sexes and led to women living longer. It is also well known that men are far more likely than women to be h o m e l e s s . Perhaps most telling of all is the fact that, in almost every country on earth, men are more likely to commit suicide than women.
If men are so powerful, why is it that they do the worst jobs, the most dangerous jobs, become homeless more often, die younger and are far more likely to kill themselves than women? These and many other related issues are addressed in a manner that has little or no regard for political correctness.
The book is written from an American perspective, but I suspect the themes will be familiar to British readers. It is extensively referenced with some shocking case examples. Like me, you may not agree with everything the author says, but if you want to think seriously about sex, power and justice this book raises some good questions. Turn to your Bible for the answers.
