Entitled: How Male Privilege Hurts Women

by Kate Manne

With the bar for men in general set so low, there is a temptation to compare a present male partner and father to his absent counterparts, and to find him morally admirable rather than wanting. Another invidious comparison turns on the fact that, currently, fathers do far more than their fathers usually did. The modern father is far more involved, on average, than his predecessor. But, again, it is vital to be clear about the most morally relevant comparison to make here: between male and female partners. And seen through this lens, women remain massively overburdened, while men often fail to do their fair share. This is particularly so because a man’s female partner is nowadays much likelier to bring in a comparable amount of income, and to work comparable hours of paid labor.32 So why should she do far more work than him at home, all else being equal? The answer, of course, is she shouldn’t.