Monday, August 30, 2010

‘Are Men Necessary?’ By Maureen Dowd


It is a question that many women ask themselves at some point. In Maureen Dowd’s book, the answer is, I think, purposefully vague. This must be for obvious reasons; women keep asking themselves this same question because there is no easy answer.

Dowd tracks many changes that have been brought about by feminism from fashion to marriage to politics. Her style is conversational and very funny even when talking about subjects that are usually not treated as a laughing matter, like sexual harassment or adultery. People who are actually looking for an answer to the title question will probably be disappointed; I don’t know whether there is an answer. But those who come in search of an interesting overview of some of feminism’s triumphs and failures will be sure to enjoy.

I love men and I think they are wonderful for friendship and companionship, but do I need a man? It’s an interesting question, because my life would obviously have been very different without men. The author uses Hilary Clinton as an example; she is successful and has a career of her own, but would she have been able to accomplish this without her husband’s prior success and subsequent public betrayal? It seems likely that her success would have been on a smaller scale. A better question seems to be whether feminism can eventually bring women to a place where they can thrive politically without introductions and support from the men in their lives.

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