The world today must deal with many problems. Our society has been struggling to cope with difficulties ranging from environmental problems to economic problems. Solutions to these problems, however, are not too hard to find. There is one problem, however, that our society has been dealing with for a very long time. The problem is . When thinking of discrimination, one tends to think mostly of sexism directed against women.. Sexism against women has become a noticeable part of our society and it is slowly on it's way to a solution. That is only part of the problem. Discrimination against men is a problem that rarely goes noticed. As William Farrell states, "With all the focus on discrimination against women, few understand the sexism directed against men." (249) Women and men should be treated as equals, however, more attention is directed towards discrimination towards women. In the 1990s, the men's movement arose in society to try and deal with the problem of sexism against men. This movement came about due to a medley of factors: women's criticisms of men's shortcomings as husbands, fathers, and lovers; the debilitating pressures of the economy and men's unequal responsibility to succeed in the workplace, to prove their worth by making money; and men's confusion over what it means to be a man today.
There are many stereotypes about men and women that are heard every day. The most common, however, is how men are considered jerks. That is one of the most popular ideas in our society today. Women have come to accept this idea as an excuse or answer to their problems with the opposite sex. How do they get this idea? It is unknowingly slipped into women's subconscious by a variety of forces. One of the strongest forces, however, is the media. "The complaints about men, the idea that "men are jerks" have become so integrated into our unconscious that even advertisers have caught on." (Farrell 249) Advertisers have used this very common and influential fact to make money. They negatively portray men in their products in order to attract women consumers. Examples of making men look like the "bad guys" are prominent in greeting cards. An excerpt from a card reveals, "If they can send one man to the moon, why can't they send them all?" Another example would be titles of certain books. Titles such as, "No Good Men." and, "Men Who Can't Love." (Farrell 250) These are examples of negative stereotypes against men and are a huge part of the problem. Men are unfairly portrayed as monsters and women end up believing that all men are heartless and uncaring. The media is a strong influence, and if it continues to produce negative stereotypes against men, then women will continue to believe them.
Another factor which is a part of male sexism is the pressure that men feel to be successful. Men have come to see it as their obligation to have a good education, get a high-paying job, get married and have kids, and be the sole-bread winner of the family. They are the ones who have to support their family, and they are looked down upon if they fail to do so. Men are literally not worth as much without money. As stated by Ian Harris: "The media and society as a whole need to bury the popular myth that male
success consists of making money." (588) ...