The Death of Macho

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2009/06/18/the_death_of_macho?page=0,0

The Death of Macho
Manly men have been running the world forever. But the Great Recession is changing all that, and it will alter the course of history.
BY REIHAN SALAM | JUNE 22, 2009
The era of male dominance is coming to an end.

Seriously.

For years, the world has been witnessing a quiet but monumental shift of power from men to women. Today, the Great Recession has turned what was an evolutionary shift into a revolutionary one. The consequence will be not only a mortal blow to the macho men’s club called finance capitalism that got the world into the current economic catastrophe; it will be a collective crisis for millions and millions of working men around the globe.

The death throes of macho are easy to find if you know where to look. Consider, to start, the almost unbelievably disproportionate impact that the current crisis is having on men—so much so that the recession is now known to some economists and the more plugged-in corners of the blogosphere as the “he-cession.” More than 80 percent of job losses in the United States since November have fallen on men, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. And the numbers are broadly similar in Europe, adding up to about 7 million more out-of-work men than before the recession just in the United States and Europe as economic sectors traditionally dominated by men (construction and heavy manufacturing) decline further and faster than those traditionally dominated by women (public-sector employment, healthcare, and education). All told, by the end of 2009, the global recession is expected to put as many as 28 million men out of work worldwide...

When you think of the term "macho," you think of men who would stand face to face with another man and adamantly state his opinions regardless of the consequences. Given this definition, would anyone consider Limbaugh, Hannity, Glen Beck, Michael Savage, William Krysol, George W. Bush, Karl Rove, or so many others of their ilk risking getting a hostile reply in their face?

Not to mention a punch in the nose.

I don't think so.

Perhaps it will be a backlash of men resenting the power of women. It will not be unlike the Glenn Becks and Lou Dobbs peddling their anger and appealing to the worst elements of racism or xenophobia in our society.

Somewhere I read a study that showed that when women lost their jobs, they became more domestic - became better housekeepers, etc. But when men are unemployed they actually do less housework. Maybe they feel their manhood has already been injured by not being able to support their family, so they don't want to do what is still often seen as "women's work."

I know that in FL, the housing boom let idiots have money, toys, trucks, homes... AND when it bust, they lost it all... or are struggling with only a wife working. AND because a lot of the jobs were contracted jobs, limited unemployment follows.

If you think about it, this may be the cause for the white men in the Senate to attack Sonya Sotomayor during the judicial hearings. The reason McCain couldn't be stand losing to the "other" or that it was women who ran away from his campaign the more they learned about Sara. Perhaps its a combination of fear with the economy and a loss of "power". They don't know how to adjust or what to adjust to.. so just saying NO as loudly as possible is what they do. My dad is the one layed off this time, my mom still has all 3 of her jobs. I know its depressing the hell out of my father. He always complained about having to work, yet once he doesn't have the work, he's lost. I think we need to have an honest and serious discussion about the future we'd like to see and how we are going to try to get there doing things now in the present. AND we need an honest discussion about living wages. NOT everybody can work in a job that requires a degree. Who's going to collect the trash, landscape, farm... there are many "jobs" that does not require a degree...Not to say that a person still shouldn't be able to learn or do what they wish (which means education needs to open and accessible to many more people), but we still have many jobs that are required in order to continue a functioning society. If the normally "janitor-like" jobs paid a living wage, I'd warrant more may choose to do this, finish, collect a pay check, and do what they like stress free with their family.. yet still be able to live, have a bit of savings and retirement, and enjoy a vacation. I think we need to discuss fairness in this country.