Manning Up: How the Rise of Women Has Turned Men into Boys
by Kay S. Hymowitz

Women are now making more money and getting more higher education degrees than men. Many single women in their 20s and 30s have achieved their dream of a successful career. They are leading successful, educated, exciting lives and seem to have it all, except one thing: a good husband.

Where have all the good men gone? That is the question that Kay Hymowitz explores in her new book, Manning Up: How the Rise of Women Has Turned Men into Boys.

Hymowitz describes young people in their 20s and 30s as "pre-adults." These men and women are filling their lives with college, careers, and the singles' scene instead of following the traditional life script of getting married, having children, and taking care of their families. Using studies and statistics as well as many examples from the popular media, Hymowitz explains that pre¬adults are now a major demographic phenomenon.

Over the past century, life for the average woman has dramatically changed. With new appliances that reduce the time once consumed by housekeeping, the birth control pill, and what amounts to affirmative action for women in the job market, women are now able to lead independent lives. The feminist movement has preached for years that women's goal should be independence from men.

How has women's liberated lifestyle affected men? Is feminism to blame for the demasculinization of men? Hymowitz explains that by the time women reach their late 20s or early 30s and want to start families, their male peers seem stuck in perpetual, adolescent boyhood. Hymowitz calls them "childmen."

With no women or children depending on them, men have plenty of time and money to spend on their own pleasures. There is no motivation for men to give up their freedom since sex is no longer confined to the bounds of marriage and women apparently seek to be their own providers. Why not take advantage of men's newfound freedom from duties to be a provider for a woman and her kids? By their actions, women are telling men that they are unnecessary, and men are playing the part.

Manning Up provides a sober look at today's social realities. Pre-adulthood is rapidly becoming normal, but it is not without problems or unpleasant consequences. Fun may be easily available in colleges, bars, and in front of a video screen, but love and commitment remain evasive. As they grow older, many young men and women become bitter. Although the circumstances that have led to the pre-adult generation will not go away, the sooner the problem is realized, the sooner a solution may be found.

(Basic Books/Perseus, 240 pages, $25.99)