The Bible Society in Australia has a newspaper entitled “Eternity” which publishes articles of interest to the Christian public. The latest edition features a recent book by Hanna Rosin entitled “The End of Men” with the subtitle “and the rise of women” (small letters).
The quotes from the book were mostly statistics from America about the increasing number of women in college and high paying jobs which has changed the balance from a time when men were the primary wage earners. The observation was that men are now feeling displaced from their position of ‘breadwinner’ and that their wives/partners can now earn more than they previously had in some of their occupations. Apparently, there are many new positions being created in industry for which the men are not qualified and women are stepping into these roles very easily.
Rosin writes at one point “The working class which has long defined our notions of masculinity is slowly turning into a matriarchy with men increasingly absent from the home and women making all the decisions” This statement was referring to men leaving relationships because they no longer feel they have a place or need to be there.
What really took my attention was the recorded comments by a well-known Southern Baptist college principal who is quoted as saying “Christians had better know that matters far more important than economics are at stake. These trends represent nothing less than a collapse of male responsibility, leadership and expectations. The real issue here is not the end of men but the disappearance of manhood”
Another quote from the same man was that “God intended for men to have a role as workers, reflecting God’s image in their vocation” I wonder what Bible verses would be used to justify such a statement. Is he saying that women don’t reflect God’s image when they are ‘workers’ ?
I don’t know Hanna Rosin as an author or why the book was written, but it certainly provoked a strident response from this person and the Christian newspaper thought it worthwhile to report.
