The Rise of Masculinist Despair: A Threat to Women’s Rights in the Making

The recent cover story in The Atlantic, “The Men Who Don’t Want Women to Vote,” by Helen Lewis, offers a sobering look at the resurgence of masculinism in American politics. This ideology seeks to reassert men’s dominance over women and has coalesced various strains of anti-feminism into a cohesive whole.

At its core, masculinism is a reaction against the advances of feminism and the perceived erosion of traditional masculine roles. Lewis notes that this movement has many entry points, ranging from legitimate concerns about male loneliness to alarming policy goals that threaten women’s rights. For example, the rollback of no-fault divorce and tax breaks for male breadwinners are just two examples of policies that masculinists advocate.

Masculinism draws on various ideologies, including Christianity and the manosphere, presenting itself as a legitimate concern. Douglas Wilson, a co-founder of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, has built a small empire dedicated to disseminating his theocratic vision for the United States. Charles Cornish-Dale, a religious historian and provocateur in the manosphere, studied at both Oxford and Cambridge but now promotes an anti-feminist agenda online.

The consequences of this movement are far-reaching and alarming. Masculinism’s policy goals aim to reinforce traditional masculine roles and punish women for their perceived transgressions. Women’s right to work, vote, and control their own bodies is denied in this ideology. Lewis quotes Scott Yenor, who has declared that modern women are “medicated, meddlesome, and quarrelsome.” This kind of rhetoric is not just inflammatory; it’s also a call to action for those who seek to roll back women’s rights.

The rise of masculinism is closely tied to the Trump administration. Lewis notes that masculinism has become the cornerstone of Trumpism, and its proponents are now mainstream figures in American politics. This development is worrying because it suggests that anti-feminist ideologies are being legitimized and normalized in the public sphere.

For women’s rights in the United States, the consequences will be dire. The rollback of no-fault divorce, tax breaks for male breadwinners, and an end to leadership programs for women in the military will disproportionately affect women who already face significant barriers to equality. The promotion of masculinist ideologies also threatens to erode the progress made by feminist movements over the past few decades.

Historically, this kind of reaction against feminism is not new. In the 1970s and 1980s, similar anti-feminist movements emerged in response to women’s increasing participation in the workforce and their demands for greater equality. However, these movements were largely discredited as they became more extreme and reactionary.

Today, masculinism presents a more insidious threat because its proponents are well-organized, well-funded, and have managed to infiltrate mainstream politics. The Atlantic’s cover story is a timely reminder that we must be vigilant in defending women’s rights and challenging the ideologies that seek to undermine them.

As Lewis notes, masculinism functions as a perpetual-motion machine of grievance, an inarticulate howl of anguish at the status quo. This howl should not be ignored or dismissed; it should be met with resistance and pushback from those who believe in women’s equality and human rights. The future of American politics depends on it.