- Paperback: 336 pages
- Publisher: Golden Guides from St. Martin's Press; First Edition edition (Sep 2 2000)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0312263112
- ISBN-13: 978-0312263119
- Product Dimensions: 21.2 x 14 x 2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 408 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#315,218 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #30 in Books > Nonfiction > Social Sciences > Sociology > Men
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
Biological anthropologist Lionel Tiger, best known for developing the concept of male bonding in Men in Groups, offers what he calls "a chronicle of the decline of men and the ascendancy of women." If there were a male counterpart to feminism--masculinism?--this is where it would be found. Profound social changes over the last several decades are rooted in reproductive technology, which "has given enormous general power to women that has been translated beyond the family sphere," says Tiger. This is not an unequivocally positive development, he believes, and it has led to a slew of problems that include general family breakdown. The book is occasionally alarmist, yet there is also a freshness to its argument.
The Decline of Males is a nonsexist brief on behalf of men, and it includes a number of interesting observations. As women play a larger role in public life, men are looking for new ways to be male. "Perhaps the apparent explosion of interest in sports and pornography means that men are trying to find new outlets to express their inherent maleness, which they may feel otherwise obligated to repress," writes Tiger. Several of his proposals are politically naive, but intriguing in how they blend conservative and liberal ideas. Tiger, for example, thinks men should earn higher pay for the children they have during a first marriage, and that unmarried women with children should receive welfare without having to work. The Decline of Males will fascinate some readers and exasperate others, yet all will agree it makes a unique intellectual contribution to the ongoing sex wars. --John J. Miller --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
Males have declined into bewildered, lonely creatures since "new and effective contraceptive technology, controlled by women" and the "anti-male" discourse of feminism have led to a pervasive social shift away from "male-centered production to female-centered reproduction." With the advent of the Pill, men have become from the "means of reproduction" and the demand for abortion has risen. The ancient mammalian unit of mother and child has morphed into a "bureaugamy," as single mothers find government assistance a more satisfying partner than a confused male. Or so says anthropologist Tiger (Men in Groups, etc.), who claims that only Darwinian biology can satisfactorily explain these changes and pities anyone foolish enough to believe the "Christian Science about human behavior" known as gender studies and sociology. This "psychosexual weather report" will delight those who find sociobiology convincing, but may vex readers who want more than newspaper articles offered as science (118 references to the New York Times alone). It may also be news to many women that they are "on the way to winning" the war between the sexes and will soon dominate the world economic system. Somewhat paradoxically, Tiger celebrates single mothers as the heroic vanguard of a new social order in the "human zoo," yet proclaims that it is men who have been "liberated" by the women's movement. Although provocative, his arguments won't withstand much serious scrutiny from points of view outside biology that may not see humans as analogous to bats and tadpoles. Agent, Amanda Urban of ICM.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Crouching Lion, leaping Tiger,
By
This review is from: The Decline of Males: The First Look at an Unexpected New World for Men and Women (Paperback)
Read this book again in the context of social change and ask why is it happening. LT documents many aspects of this issue and certainly does a good job focusing on bio-techincal issues but there is almost a sense of false cause here instead of wondering why both the technologies and the behaviors have developed. This book presents a stark argument and it feels right but why is it right? I think if we put this in the context of the wider issue of how societies react to environmental stresses we can view the decline of males (and the decline of females! since they are not reproducing either) as an example of our genes interacting with social behaviors to reduce our population. It is working in the developed countries. How do we get it to work everywhere?
4.0 out of 5 stars
a must read book,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Decline of Males: The First Look at an Unexpected New World for Men and Women (Paperback)
Remember gentlemen,Men do not have to emulate women to live a long healthy life,nor do they have to submit to voluntary castration.However,men do have to take responsibility for their own health and learn to value their own bodies the way men of other cultures do.Just because women hate men and maleness doesnt mean men should hate themselves or neglect their own bodies and health..or loathe their own [private parts].Despite the rampant bigotry against men and anything symbolic of maleness,men should take pride in themselves and their gender`s accomplishments.
3.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating Thesis, Not So Great Conclusion,
By
This review is from: The Decline of Males: The First Look at an Unexpected New World for Men and Women (Paperback)
Lionel Tiger sets forth a fascinating theory regarding the future conduct of human relations in the book. Tiger suggests that the creation of massive government bureaucracies has fundamentally altered the family concept. I won't get into any more details, as I don't want to misstate his position, which he does a good job of laying out.His writing is clear and relatively easy to read, which is always a plus in an academic work. The book can be read in a few days without difficulty. Tiger carefully lays out the evidence behind his theory, with each supporting leg bolstered with carefully detailed facts. Where Tiger falls short, however, is with his conclusion. After laying out his thesis, Tiger offers only a cursory conclusion that comes as a great disappointment after the work he did laying out his theory. The reader is left asking the hard question: 'so what?' The book is still worth reading, as the thesis is provocative and well-argued, but Tiger really fell short by not offering a more comprehensive conclusion.
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