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The End of Men
English essay containing an analysis of, and comments on, the article ’The End of Men’ by Hanna Rosin.
Is the postmodern world better suited for women than for men? Are we in the near future looking at the end of men? Women in the U.S are gradually taking control of the political-, social- and economical stations in their country. They are taking seats in the Senate and the Congress; they are winning worldwide awards for their literature, arts, and their science discoveries; and they are rapidly gaining more and more important standings in the modern society. Soon they will be able to make remarkable lives for themselves, without the support of any man.
All through history men have been the dominant gender, and the very real threat (ER DET EN TRUSSEL? FOR HVEM?) of this changing is the subject of Hanna Rosin’s article ‘The End of Men’. The article was published in the July/August edition of the magazine The Atlantic, and focuses on the present female revolution.
If we go back in history, both men and women wanted male children. Women were thrown out of their home, and in ancient Greece some were even killed, if they could not produce any male heirs. With Robert Ericsson’s theory (NOT A THEORY – A TECHNIQUE) about separating the male-producing Y chromosome from those carrying the X chromosome, it became possible to decide the sex of the children. He introduced his methods to clinics in the U.S and 20 years later he became very shocked by the results. Most people wanted girls, and at a ratio of 2 to 1 there was a big difference in the preference.
Like Ronald Ericsson says: “Women live longer than men. They do better in this economy. More of ‘em graduate from college. They go into space and do everything men do, and sometimes they do it a whole lot better. I mean, hell, get out of the way – these females are going to leave us males in the dust.” (p. 2, l. 58-61) It is just a question of time before the women control everything, and who would want a son, when they could have a president as daughter?
This article concentrate on telling us, how great women are and how much control they have recently gained in the U.S and across the globe. It addresses the few women who are still suppressed by their husbands or their boyfriends. It encourages them to be who they want to be, and as successful as they want to be. It also addresses all men, showing them how the future is going to be ruled by women, and how the power is going to shift. It focuses on the superiority the women have been gaining quickly in the last few years, and very obviously accounts for all the good things women are doing currently. The reporter writes: “Once you open your eyes to this possibility, the evidence is all around you.” (p. 3, l. 85) All around the world there is proof that women can do whatever they want to, without anyone bossing them around, like they did when the women’s place was in the kitchen or with the children. Throughout the article Rosin uses the appeal form logos by mentioning different statistics as proof of her claims, and the ethos form, by having different quotations from the biologist Ronald Ericsson, which shows us that it is not only her thoughts on this subject. The article is spotted with questions to the reader, engaging them in the text and making them think.
The upcoming change in the control of the society has also had an effect on the famous people and the popular culture, and the themes which their works refers to. George Clooney is an actor who has won the title of the sexiest man alive twice, but in the movie “Up in the air,” he gets rejected by two women, one of them even after he has been used sexually. If a person like George Clooney can get rejected by an older woman, then what kind of hope do other men have in this new world? Some of the most well known female performers in the world are also caught up in the dominance battle. The singer Beyoncé aired in April 2011 the song called “Run the World (Girls)”, singing about female supremacy.

But the article also shows us how the newfound power affects some women in a negative way; not everyone turns into intelligent, sophisticated and significant people. According to Rosin the “Rates of violence committed by middle-aged women have skyrocketed since the 1980’s” (p. 4, l. 137-138) and both in the real world and in literature women have taken new roles as the bad guys, and not just the right hand woman.
The women are portrayed as confident and independent individuals, as compared to the inferior young men, who are described as ‘boy-toys’, and older men who are described as has-beens from the past. Rosin predicts a future ruled by women, and makes no effort into hiding the fact that she supports this potential future. (HVOR VISER HUN DET?)
The impending changes are all very realistic but hard to imagine. If it could be possible, living in harmony and equality would obviously be the best option for us. If we could share the responsibility and the authority equally there would be no reason for wishing to have girls and not boys; there would be no reason to push every important man of his post; and there would be no reason to want anything else than what you already have.

EN MEGET FLOT OPGAVE. ALLE ELEMENTER ER BESVARET. SPROGET ER NUANCERET, FLYDENDE OG NÆSTEN KORREKT.

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