“Be sure to check your sources to make sure they are reliable resources” as my High School English teach would constantly remind me. I believe that is important regardless of what level one may be in their writing acumen. In the article, The End of Men, I see that Hanna Rosin have many out dated facts and fails to realize the ever changing world has changing opinions. Rosin should have checked her sources and be more specific with her details, but that would have been to the detriment of her argument. Hanna Rosin makes a claim that the reign of men is over and is no longer dominant in the postindustrial era. Rosin argues the point that women are dominating the workforce and presents statements such as “Men dominate just two of the 15 job categories projected to grow the most over the next decade: janitor and computer engineer.”
Also, she argues the point that women are dominating the field of education where she mention “ Earlier this year, for the first time in American history, the balance of the workforce tipped toward women, who now hold a majority of the nation’s jobs. 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.”
Another point which Rosin argues is that women are dominating the family and states that in the “1990, the country’s laws were revised so that women could keep custody of their children after a divorce and inherit property. In 2005, the court ruled that women could register children under their own names. As recently as 1985, about half of all women in a national survey said they ‘must have a son.’ That percentage fell slowly until 1991 and then plummeted to just over 15 percent by 2003. Male preference in South Korea ‘is over’, says Monica Das Gupta, a demographer and Asia expert at the World Bank.” The last point that she argues is about pop culture where she speaks about a Dodge Charger advertisement that played during the Super Bowl.
This is not rocket science, her claim is erroneous. It is not the end of men, but actually the rise of the equality of women. Many, such as Hanna Rosin, may argue that women have increase in pay jobs and the “female-dominated occupations” are rising in pay; although this is very accurate, those jobs such as home health aides and personal care aides earn on average $21,000. Many women tend to enter caring occupations.
Cultural norms still assign women more responsibility than men for the care of children, the sick and the elderly, and the market-oriented economy doesn't reward such care very generously. One will certainly notice how much Hanna Rosin will consistently speak about married couples and single mothers, but one thing she omitted in her article is the fact that the percentage of married couples have declined over the years. Only 51 percent of all adults who are 18 and older are married, placing them on the brink of becoming a minority, according to a Pew Research Center compared to the 57 percent who were married in 2000. Although women do earn more college degrees than men, on average women still earn less than men with comparable levels of education, even accounting for the total time at work.
In a 2008 Pew Research poll, 68 percent of women and 69 percent of men said both sexes make equally good leaders; the relative agreement on all sides whether both agree or disagree on the survey speaks volume to how the equality is taking place.
I believe that everyone can agree that gender stereotype comes into play when this subject of matter and there are changes being made to minimize the stereotypes in an attempt to make it an even plain field in many arenas that are of high consideration such as the work field or education.
The progress can be almost represented by the many organizations that are forming such as the National Organization for Women (NOW). Also, the U.N. Women where there is not a man that is charge, but a woman. The person who is the head of the U.N. Women is Michelle Bachelet, formerly president of Chile. The creation of this agency is centered on one goal, to promote gender equality around the world. The key in the mission is the promotion of gender equality, this is not only in the U.S., but all over the world; this can best explain why so many may be confused.
If there is gender equality, evidently there would be an increase in women’s wages, scholarships for women, women sports, etc. “Ms. Bachelet brings to this critical position a history of dynamic global leadership, highly honed political skills and uncommon ability to create consensus and focus among U.N. agencies and many partners in both the public and private sector," says U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to reporters, according to an unofficial U.N. transcript. “United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women" is the official name of the organization.
Rosin argues that women exceeded men as a part of the U.S. labor force in 2009, but according to Bureau of Labor Statistics, men have regained the jobs lost during the recession at a much faster pace than women.
All in all, there is more being done to aid women in their struggles they have are still facing today. With this aid by organization such as the “United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women", there are many benefits that comes with this promotion; however, it is not an excuse to make false assumptions.