I am sure many saw the news reports of the Pew survey that found that “a record 40% of all households with children under the age of 18 include mothers who are either the sole or primary source of income for the family.” This was up from just 11% in 1960.
When I read it, I thought that it was interesting but not Earth-shattering. It was definitely not unexpected. After all, the role of women has been steadily rising in every sphere of life so why would it be a surprise that they now are increasingly the major breadwinners in households? In fact, we should expect the numbers to rise even more. Besides, unless we are aiming at strict parity, one gender will always be in the majority on any given issue. Why shouldn’t it be women?
So I was really surprised that in some quarters this news was seen as a sign of The End Of Civilization As We Know It. Here are four men discussing how bad the situation is using language that is apocalyptic.
This was too much even for their female fellow Fox News personalities who lambasted them for their absurdly outdated views.
Guys, get a grip. The times they are a’changing. And they will keep changing whether you like it or not. At some point, women may well be in the majority in both houses of congress and in charge of the heights of the economy and the military. And the world will survive and the sun will continue to rise and set as it always has.
Better get used to the idea that pro football may be the only activity where men will continue to dominate.
I would expect no less from a Fox “News” sausage-fest.
As a European white male I always have considered it a burden having to be the only or main breadwinner. I always thought it in my interest to have a female counterpart who brings in a substantial income and not only for financial reasons.
1. More choice for me to do the things I like to do, like having endless and senseless debates on internet;
2. A woman who loves me and stays with me because of who I am instead of my money;
3. A woman who is socially involved and has relevant experiences is more interesting; she also will be more capable to help me to correct my many mistakes.
Really, equal rights are in my very male interest.
@MNb; the American right wingnuts’ desire for women is for them to be mindless baby factories completely dependent on the men in their lives for their very existence. That way the men are assured of having a helpless victim that can’t leave.
The rightwingnut “solution” to this amounts to “stop the women from working”. Those at Fox Nuisance somehow “think” taking jobs away from women and driving families into more poverty will cause women to suddenly be more desirable to men and cause them to get married. And if they don’t, it’s the women’s fault.
Maybe one can convince these religious conservative men that being “head of the family” and “main bread winner” is now more like a ceremonial title without actual power, like with european monarchies 🙂
That way they can still look Lord Jesus in the eye without being ashamed.
It is, obviously, the end of civilization as we know it. Can you even imagine Ward saying to the Beaver -- “just wait until your mother gets home, young man”? Even worse can you imagine the Beav’s mother dealing with whatever crisis has erupted now in a calm, sensible, effective manner? That’s the dad’s job……..Oh the horror of it all!
Seriously though, I think that these FNews guys and a lot of other MCPs (now there’s an old term that seems highly relevant) are terrified that they are becoming nothing more than drones whose function is to fertilize and then die. They are incapable of creating roles for themselves -- like all right wing types the “rules” give them security by defining their place and determining their actions so thinking for themselves is not needed or desired. Still less can they see that freedom for women equals freedom for men! In a world where women are equal it becomes more and more obvious that they are inferior. who needs them?
Here is their exchange with Megyn Kelly:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vKPXo0ytRZM#t=0s
Not how they laugh at her the *entire* time and clearly don’t take her seriously.
*Note
@3 Seeker: I undestand. Dutch rightwingnuts are exactly the same. My point is that they are wrong afaIc, also from a male self interest perspective. I hope every man with more than three brain cells agrees.
All politics is tribal, of course, but the GOP seems to have taken on a level of tribality that is really over-the-top. They aren’t even bothering to fully parse the sentences. They read just enough to realize it will make some liberals happy, and become frothing-at-the-mouth angry.
@ MNb:
Amen!
Yes, they seem to just not realize how offensive and patronizing their behavior towards her is.
Just be careful about #3… many stay-at-home-parents (of any gender) are “socially involved and [have] relevant experiences” and are very interesting people. Don’t want to inadvertently denigrate them here…
Lou Dobbs started saying something interesting there and then fell off at a right-angle to the rails.
How does anyone anywhere ever take Erick Erickson seriously? The man just says whatever he wants, then claims it’s science, and I think both Megyn and Lou called him on it.