The Fallout of the Women's Movement

Movements have shaped the landscape of the American society since its inception. Groups and individuals who realized failures in the system and felt compelled to take action founded our nation. Many movements have greatly impacted the modern way of life. Most recently the Civil Rights movement and the Environmental movement come to mind. Yet no movement has redefined this nation and in fact the world as has the Women's Movement. But the revolution for women's rights has not gone without its casualties, men.

The Chinese symbol, the ying and yang represent the balance of nature. In society the ying and yang can represent the man and the woman. The balance between the two is an institution inherited and passed along from generation to generation. This is not to say that the balance should be perceived as fair. Just as one may not perceive a pound of gold and a pound of bricks to be fair value, one can established the balance. For our purposes understanding represents balance. That is the understanding men and women held regarding their role in the family and subsequently in society. We all know the stereotype, the man the hunter/gatherer and the woman the caregiver, but this was still the basis for the balance.

During the late 1970's and throughout the 1980's the Women's Movement gained great acceptance and influence, thus redefining the centuries old role men had balanced. No longer could men be defined solely as the providers as that responsibility was now shared with their counterparts. It is at this point the balance was lost. As a direct result more woman, empowered to be self sufficient, left behind the chains of marriage and men and did it on their own. The high rate of single motherhood and divorce during the mid and late 80's defines this change. Men, now unable to define themselves in this new balance and unable to relate to their father's WWII, male providing model, abandoned the ideal of manhood and to a further degree fatherhood.