The End of Men


The End of Men: And the Rise of Women is a book by journalist and magazine editor Hanna Rosin, based on her cover story of the same name that appeared in The Atlantic in 2010. It was published by Riverhead Books in 2012. In the book, Rosin argues that patriarchy is coming to an end. She writes about the dominance of women in US schools and workplaces.

Overview

Rosin's text was published in 2012 by Riverhead Books. In the text, she theorizes that women have won the gender war, having "pulled decisively ahead by almost every measure." Rosin uses the shift in the American economy as one of her main sources. Here, jobs which traditionally held male-led jobs are now lost in the face of the recession and recovery of said economy. Rosin also cites rising college graduation rates, steady employment, and an increased presence in male-dominated fields such as politics and business.
Rosin's analysis of the shift in gender roles within American society lead to questioning the validity of this shift. She states that women find themselves confident and capable in their new roles. She also claims that their presence may be a key to shifting the culture of the workplace as their presence there becomes more established and widespread.

Reception

Carol Tavris writes in the Wall Street Journal that " avoids the journalistic habit of doing 'spotlight interviews' with individuals selected to support the writer's hypothesis, a practice she knows is misleading. Instead, her argument is based on substance and scholarship".
Annalee Newitz of NPR describes the book as "a frustrating blend of genuine insight and breezy, unconvincing anecdotalism" but also that "the book manages to register a cultural shift in the process of happening, which is an exceedingly difficult task".
Writing in The New York Times, Jennifer Homans suggests that The End of Men minimizes important issues still facing women, and that Rosin perpetuates stereotypes about what it means to be a woman such as having a greater ability than men to "sit still and focus".