Gender visible
Katie Eagle
Issue date: 11/13/08 Section: Lifestyles
In 2005, 70 percent of 3,000 women agreed that all a man wants out of a date is sex. Dr. Michael Kimmel, one of the nation's leading experts in masculinity, spoke Nov. 6 on the differences and similarities between men and women. His lecture, titled "Mars and Venus or Planet Earth," explored reasons why there seems to be a battle of the sexes.
Kimmel recently released "Guyland," which was featured on the "Today Show" and "Good Morning America." The book explains why it seems as if men are "exchanging the responsibilities of a career and family for video game and pornography."
Kimmel started off the lecture by refuting the claim that "men are from Mars and women are from Venus." He said, "Everyday you are living the refutation of that book, through co-education. We take the same tests and notes and hear the same lectures. On every available measure, women and men are more similar. There are far greater differences among women and among men, that's the real story. We are all earthlings."
Kimmel explained that women's lives have changed drastically over the past few decades and, correspondingly, their expectations are different. With all that they are achieving, they expect more from men, but are quickly disappointed because men have not really changed.
There are four major areas of change in women's lives today: women made gender visible, women's experiences in the work place have changed, women's balance of work and family and women and sexuality.
In 1972, the first women's studies were conducted at San Diego State University; before, there were no studies of gender and especially not of women. Women now have jobs in almost every aspect of the work force.
"Women thought they had to choose family or career. Now most women want it all," Kimmel said.
"My hope is that men and women can open up conversations with each other, it's the only way we can change things through individual interactions with each other. We can and should be allies," Kimmel said.
Kimmel recently released "Guyland," which was featured on the "Today Show" and "Good Morning America." The book explains why it seems as if men are "exchanging the responsibilities of a career and family for video game and pornography."
Kimmel started off the lecture by refuting the claim that "men are from Mars and women are from Venus." He said, "Everyday you are living the refutation of that book, through co-education. We take the same tests and notes and hear the same lectures. On every available measure, women and men are more similar. There are far greater differences among women and among men, that's the real story. We are all earthlings."
Kimmel explained that women's lives have changed drastically over the past few decades and, correspondingly, their expectations are different. With all that they are achieving, they expect more from men, but are quickly disappointed because men have not really changed.
There are four major areas of change in women's lives today: women made gender visible, women's experiences in the work place have changed, women's balance of work and family and women and sexuality.
In 1972, the first women's studies were conducted at San Diego State University; before, there were no studies of gender and especially not of women. Women now have jobs in almost every aspect of the work force.
"Women thought they had to choose family or career. Now most women want it all," Kimmel said.
"My hope is that men and women can open up conversations with each other, it's the only way we can change things through individual interactions with each other. We can and should be allies," Kimmel said.
Be the first to comment on this story