Not a bad article, but still a shame that in talking about men we have to tip-toe around feminism. What good reason can there possibly be for being afraid about what the feminists will think if men take control of their problems? The mere fact that in having this discussion there is fear it might upset the feminists only demonstrates the extent to which the feminists have become oppressive and agenda oriented regardless of the cost to men. When Hanna Rosin at a conference on boys and reading says that we should not be concerned about teaching boys to read as well as girls because there are still more male CEOs, one must realize it is time to put an end to these monsters who's warped ideology is so perverse they have found self-righteous justification for attacking the wellbeing of male children.

The feminist apex fallacy is relevant here.

They look up and decide that men are privileged etc, they don't look down and see that the least privileged are always also men and always have been.

"Right now, too much of the conversation around what’s going on with men is left to people who’d either prefer to go back to 1950 or who think feminism’s battles are won."

Showing the real agenda of this feature again here, its not really about men, its about the feminist movement wanting to control the conversation about men and marginalize the mens movement.

And what you said about it just isn't true James, most of the men's movement are against gender roles and the rest point to very serious problems with feminism.

Such as what its doing in the legal system - its obstructing shared parenting and fathers rights, its lying about abuse being mainly gendered and running intervention and PASs accordingly, its lying about discrimination in the work place and legislating for female privilege to combat the discrimination that doesn't exist in the first place , its slanting education and health and social resources in favour of women, the fact that the feminists that actually have political power and get things done are calling for a new holocaust, the fact that anti-male propaganda has got the culture to the point that its normal for the females in the media to celebrate and mock when women sexually mutilate men...

And I wish you people would get your information about the mens movement from the men's movement and not from other feminists.

There are very powerful groups promoting women's issues, there are no a similar groups promoting men's. Any attempts at men organising in a significant manner are shamelessly squashed or marginalized by the Media, Government and Feminists groups.

Political feminism has no counter balancing force in our system, they essentially push forward unopposed. This is not healthy for a Democracy, Government has a responsibility to foster not hinder the formation of a counter balance.

Thank you for this article.

This is an excellent piece. Without diminishing the problems faced by women in the UK, its great to see a space opening up in which the problems of masculine identity and some of the specific socio-economic problems facing men can be discussed.

We have broadly decided that women can move to define their gender and existence in as many ways as they like. But for men gender education is still largely stuck in the 1950s - the only role model really put forward is a combination of stoic / soldier / idiot.

I also wonder if there is a class dimension to this.

“having it easy”

I’m picturing my daughters classroom with happy faced boys and girls.

The boys will receive a poorer education than girls.

Their life choice is a simple one, work and be valued or be unemployed despised.

If they become a father they may have a relationship with their children, if the mother allows it.

If they are married they will be forced spend their evenings watching soap operas and reality shows. If the marriage breaks down it’s expected they leave the family home.

In the work place they have less employment rights or legal protection than the girls will.

They will work more hours for more years than the girls.

When they get ill they are more likely to die.

They are more likely to be unemployed, homeless, imprisoned, assaulted, murdered than their female class mates. They are much more likely to commit suicide or be killed in a workplace accident.

When exactly do they start to ‘have it easy’?

The idea of a "battle of the sexes" is a massive distraction from actual systemic problems: sexism that sees women as "other" or as perpetual emmerdeuses; narrow concepts of masculinity that hem men in.

Also, re breast cancer, you're right that "sisterhood" is framed differently from "brotherhood." Another factor is that a disease diagnosed by feeling women's breasts is seen as rather more media-friendly than a disease diagnosed by sticking fingers up men's bums.

Brilliant James, well said.

The Breast Cancer fundraising industry has nothing to do with feminism and if you believe growing a moustache in November will address the deep social problems affecting the lives of men right now, such as long term unemployment, you're as deluded as the pink ribbon brigade.