Hanna Rosin speaks on the end of men
The 2016 presidential election became centered around the topic of masculinity, according to Hanna Rosin, co-host of NPR podcast Invisibilia and author of “The End of Men: And the Rise of Women.” Rosin talked about the increase of women in the U.S. workforce March 1 in the Classroom Building.
Rosin said that we are in an unprecedented moment in history with how numbers and attitudes are changing between men and women in universities, marriages and the workplace.
Rosin, whose work has been featured in the “New York Times” and “The Atlantic” talked about how Trump’s candidacy could be so appealing. Rosin said that one reason might have to do with his value of traditional marriages, versus a “seesaw” marriage where couples take turns being the breadwinner or a stay-at-home parent.
Her tracking of statistics led to her find that in 2009, the weight of the recession fell heaviest on men who suffered three-quarters of job losses in the U.S. In the 1960s, nearly all men between the ages of 25-54 were working, whereas today one in five men are considered unemployed.
Rosin also talked about the divorce rates of families without college degrees. “Blue states, which are the democratic states, are not comfortable with the language and politics of traditional values, but they live hugely traditional-valued lives, much more so than they have in the last 50 years. So the strongest marriage rates, the highest likelihood that you are born in a two-parent family is in blue states. Red states, where people are extremely comfortable with the language of traditional values have plummeting rates of marriage and scoring rates of single motherhood,” she said.
Marriah Haag, a sociology major, talked about the traditional culture in Utah. “I’m originally from California and Utah has this phenomenon of the LDS Church, I feel like it plays a serious social role not just in religion, but everyday life. It’s a whole other phenomenon here, where people who aren’t LDS are still affected by the LDS views,” Haag said.
Tim Tsai, hospitality management major, talked about why men may feel less important in regards to Rosin’s controversial work. “Most men in general have a competitive nature and so it’s hard for them to see women in positions higher than them.” Tsai said that historically, men have been placed as the leading authority. “I come from a traditionally Chinese family and throughout Chinese history it’s men on top and women serve like second-class citizens,” he said.
Mick Varney, history education major, said that he’s seen the trends that Rosin described and said he’s noticed high-achieving women on campus. “I’ve had the privilege of working with a lot of women who are extremely impressive,” Varney said.
