Table Of ContentThe Man Question
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The Man Question
Male Subordination and Privilege
Nancy E. Dowd
a
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS
New York and London
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS
New York and London
www.nyupress.org
© 2010 by New York University
All rights reserved
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Dowd, Nancy E., 1949–
The man question : male subordination and privilege / Nancy E. Dowd.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978–0–8147–2005–9 (cl : alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 0–8147–2005–6 (cl : alk. paper)
ISBN-13: 978–0–8147–2094–3 (ebook)
ISBN-10: 0–8147–2094–3 (ebook)
1. Men—Legal status, laws, etc. 2. Sex and law. 3. Masculinity.
4. Fatherhood. 5. Feminist theory. I. Title.
K645.D69 2010
305.31—dc22 2010011998
New York University Press books are printed on acid-free paper,
and their binding materials are chosen for strength and durability.
We strive to use environmentally responsible suppliers and materials
to the greatest extent possible in publishing our books.
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To Zack
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Contents
Preface ix
1 Introduction 1
PART I Theory 11
2 Men, Masculinities, and Feminist Theory 13
3 Masculinities Theory and Practice 25
4 Toward a New Theory of Feminist Jurisprudence 57
PART II Boys 73
5 Boys and Education 75
6 Boys and Juvenile Justice 87
PART III Men 101
7 Men and Fatherhood 105
8 Men and Sexual Abuse 125
with Ted Shaw
9 Conclusion 141
References 151
Index 185
About the Author 187
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Preface
This book owes its origin in the first instance to my students in
Gender and the Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law. After
many years of teaching the course, which focused entirely on women and
the law as well as feminist theory, I decided to add readings about men,
men’s issues, and masculinities, particularly because of my interest in issues
related to fathers and fatherhood. The effect was electric; the class was both
threatened and energized by the readings, resistant and yet open to rethink-
ing their assumptions about gender equality and gender issues. Expansion
of the readings about men and masculinities led to a proposal to NYU Press
for a reader to supplement courses in feminist theory and gender and the
law. At the final stage of review, the editors asked if I would write a book
on the place of masculinities in feminist theory. At that stage my colleague
Barbara Bennett Woodhouse (now at Emory University) strongly urged me
to research and write the book. It began a process of further immersion in
this subject for several years. I am grateful for her support and encourage-
ment throughout this project, as well as her comments and feedback as the
book took shape. I have also benefitted from the feedback of Professor Shani
King, another colleague at the University of Florida, on various pieces of this
work. Many other colleagues at the University of Florida have been influen-
tial in my thinking, over several years of conversations about the book. Rich-
ard Collier has been a source of dialogue throughout this project and visited
briefly at the law school during the book’s development and presented some
of his work on masculinity. Two other significant influences as I worked on
this volume were Ann McGinley and Frank Rudy Cooper, both of whom
have influenced me with their own work on masculinities and have been
very supportive of this project.
In the course of working on this volume I was ably assisted by the librar-
ians at the College of Law, who retrieved volumes from many disciplines and
helped track down sources from various journals. I have also been strongly
supported with summer research grants from the college as I worked on the
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manuscript over several summers. Dean Robert Jerry, then Associate Dean
George Dawson, and Senior Associate Dean Bill Page have all been wonder-
fully supportive of this project. Stephanie Bates Galligan, JD ’10, has been a
dynamic and fantastic research assistant who brought this research project
to fruition at its final stages. I also have been assisted in this project by won-
derful research assistance from Kelly Reese, Emily Banks, and Renee Allen.
Cindy Zimmerman provided incredible support in the early stages of this
project, and Debbie Willis also provided wonderful support in the prepara-
tion of the manuscript.
Portions of the book have been presented at various conferences, includ-
ing the conference celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Feminism
and Legal Theory Project of Professor Martha Fineman held at the Univer-
sity of Wisconsin; a workshop on comparative family law in early 2009 as
well as a workshop on masculinities and feminism in the fall of 2009, both
at Emory University; the fourteenth LatCrit conference in 2009; the Univer-
sity of Baltimore Feminist Legal Theory conference in spring 2010; and the
spring 2010 symposium “Feminist Perspectives in Masculinities” sponsored
by the Harvard Journal of Law and Gender. An edited and revised version of
chapter 3 was published by the Wisconsin Women’s Law Journal in 2008, and
the research presented in chapter 6 was the basis for an essay published in
the Korean Law Journal’s special issue on comparative family law in 2009.
Deborah Gershenowitz, my editor at NYU Press, has shaped this proj-
ect from its inception and supported it strongly in every possible way. She is
simply fabulous to work with on any project.
My children once again have been understanding that “Mom is work-
ing on another book.” My daughter, Zoe, now in college, as well as my son,
Zack, are amazing and wonderful. My sister, Patricia McDermott, has been
my daily source of feedback and support. My father remains as much in my
mind as if he were still here. To them in particular I give my deepest thanks.
Throughout the period when this book was written two men have had
a major impact on my thinking. One is my son, Zachary Dowd, who is
seventeen as this book is completed. Living through his teenage years as I
delved into this literature brought the personal and the professional closely
together. Hopefully it helped me understand better the pressures he faces;
clearly he helped me better understand the realities of becoming a man. The
other man is Ted Shaw, who engaged in endless discussions about the book
as I delved into the research and writing. Dr. Shaw is a licensed psycholo-
gist and founding partner of the ITM Group in Gainesville, Florida; he has
several affiliations with the University of Florida. He has testified more than
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