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BOOK REVIEW: The Future of Men

It's Their Turn: Watching the Men's Movement Transpire

A review of The Future of Men by Andrea Learned

Given this reviewer's own bias and the recent much-dissected women's market ad campaign launches (Dove or Nike anyone?), the business world has long been in need of a comprehensive look at the other gender. Within the first few paragraphs of The Future of Men you get a sense for just how much men's societal roles are changing and how confusing that could be for marketers, let alone men themselves. Keep reading, and you will gain a helpful perspective on gender roles and how your marketing plans should be developing for 2006 and beyond.

The three co-authors of The Future of Men, Marian Salzman, Ira Matathia and Ann O’Reilly, use a relatable "voice" and recognizable examples to deliver historically based and research-informed insights. Their look at gender and societal changes will save you time and dollars in your own future market research, as well as give you a fresh take on your own life as a consumer, whether you are male or female.

It All Starts With A Shift

The authors begin The Future of Men by presenting what they call The Great Gender Shift, or "the seismic social-psychological shifts taking place between the sexes." Because men have long been the gender with the power, they are understandably resisting this transfer of power to women, who have traditionally had less. But, as the authors attest this "increasing equalization of women’s power occurs inexorably and 'naturally' in modern service-oriented economies," so resistance is futile. Adaption is smarter, and that’s what the men interviewed for the book’s research were doing.

As books like Daniel Pink’s A Whole New Mind describe, society is moving from the information age to the conceptual age. As efforts develop to reconnect with the human side and embrace holistic thinking during this transitional period, the more typically female specialities of interpersonal and multi-tasking skills become ever more useful. The Future of Men helps to illustrate how this newly female-brain friendly world came about and how it has resulted in the marginalization of a man’s longtime advantages. Add to this the likelihood that perhaps men have underdeveloped friend networks when compared to women, and the effect of their marginalization compounds. Men are experiencing significant changes in expectations, but likely have few people with whom to swap stories or gain support. Interconnectedness is a distinct female advantage, but that tide is changing as we find out by book’s end.

However, whether it is due to nature, nurture or culture, as presented in of The Future of Men, "real men" still have a predisposition toward getting their self-worth from being the provider or breadwinner. The authors describe in some detail, and within historical context (at one point reminding the reader how famed television talk show host, Phil Donahue, brought sensitive and intelligent discussion to the airwaves in the mid-70s), just how much the definition of “real man� or “masculinity� has changed over the years.

Masculinity In Transition

The leading edge of this masculinity in transition was called "metrosexuality," a hip moniker that became common parlance in the summer of 2003, apparently partially due to the authors themselves, their Euro RSCG colleagues and their book-preceding study, “The Future of Men�. Metrosexuals were defined as those men who lived their lives and spent their money outside of the traditional definition of what is "manly." The authors found that men who fit this label and embraced their feminine sides by buying Prada suits or having facials, reflected a confidence in their masculinity that couldn’t be questioned.

Quoting research papers and a wide variety of books, The Future of Men describes how the criteria for a man’s emotional maturity have changed, and how perhaps “metrosexuality� partially evolved as men caught up to women emotionally. One thing that is fairly certain, as related to embattled masculinity and as the authors put it: "Society’s changing notions of who men should be, combined with media images that deride who they currently are, leave many men bewildered as to whether they can do anything right."

"The new balance of power calls for lighter versions of masculinity that take more account of what used to be ‘female’ values." And, as the authors note, women are responding positively to those lighter versions. Of course, there are limits. If men take feminine traits too far, they risk being perceived by women as losing backbone and become not-so positively described "emo boys."

The latest version of man, as defined by Salzman, Matathia and O’Reilly, is the perfect mix of passion and style. He is the "übersexual." This type of man is more sensual than self-conscious, and the authors feel he may be the best response to the woman’s movement. According to them, this über-man, unlike the metrosexual or emo man, is self-defined, and has goals and needs of his own. He is not simply responding to feminism or others expectations and perceptions.

Societal Expectations Are Changing

So how well does all this veering from the norm work for men? In the chapter entitled, “The Tables Turn for Women,� the authors point out that the women’s movement was positioned to be about "choice," but that is not the case with this current "men’s movement." Today’s male struggle is actually with "societal expectations," and not choice.

And, societal expectations can be rough on a guy. With a look at academia, work and child-bearing, the authors came to notice that we now "live in a world of mutuality, where women see men as a preference rather than as an imperative."

From that point, the reader gets a chance to observe just how that mutuality evolved as the middle chapters of The Future of Men deliver a few fascinating looks at men in media and advertising images, and consideration of men’s changing role models and the new mating game rules. Haven’t many of us noticed the examples cited in the book, such as: how film’s male action heroes have gone from stoic, Rambo-types, to more sensitive, Spiderman-types? Or, how the men on television now seem milder-mannered, taking most cues on how to cope from their mothers or wives?

As the authors put it, "... society is defining new and more complex notions of what maleness should be," and this may be part of the difficulties today’s young men have in identifying positive role models. And, with regard to the romantic relationships and the notion that “life partners are necessary for fulfillment,� Salzman et al have concluded that man’s once fundamental contribution to survival may now be “an optional add-on - and one that comes at a price some women aren’t willing to pay.�
With such confusion about what makes for appropriate male behavior in this day and age, the authors point out that men have indeed followed the lead of so many women with regard to their interconnectedness. They have begun to seek affirmation from more male friendships and friend groups, and they are learning to help one another adapt to these huge societal shifts.

A Broader Definition Emerges

Taken chapter by chapter, things could look a bit grim for the men from here on out. However, the authors of The Future of Men tie things up in a positive and empowering light, with final points that will likely resonate with both men and women. Those include the need:

for people to develop a broader definition of what’s “masculine,�

for men to further adapt and develop their “female traits� of multitasking and collaboration,

for the realization that there is a more level “playing field� (and, that straight white men don’t have an automatic advantage), and,

for a redefinition of equality and success that will include a more fair division of labor and equal access to free time for both genders.

There’s more to men than meets the eye or is portrayed in the media. A lot of changes and adjusting will need to take place, and those developments won’t necessarily be easy for many men to go through. However, by reading The Future of Men, you discover that men now have an exciting opportunity to shape their lives, and society’s future expectations of them, for themselves.

As the authors put it: “Man’s greatest battle is not against women or other men or even changing times. It’s against the inertia that falsely tells him that he’s on top and will always be on top.�

It will be the prerogative of the business world to roll with the changes in men, and perhaps a bit more fluidly than business went about changing with the women’s movement. The Future of Men makes for an informative and insightful head start.

Andrea Learned writes, speaks and consults on how brands can better resonate with today's women. The coauthor of Don't Think Pink: What Really Makes Women Buy—And How to Increase Your Share of This Crucial Market (AMACOM, 2004), Andrea continues to cover a variety of women's market-related topics, including the significance of men, in her Web log: www.learnedonwomen.com.