Saturday, August 25, 2012
New York Times Op-Ed Contributor Asks, "Does “Mankind” Really Need Men?
The New York Times op-ed: Men, Who Needs Them?, by Greg Hampikian:
Mammals are named after their defining characteristic, the glands capable of sustaining a life for years after birth — glands that are functional only in the female. And yet while the term “mammal” is based on an objective analysis of shared traits, the genus name for human beings, Homo, reflects an 18th-century masculine bias in science.
That bias, however, is becoming harder to sustain, as men become less relevant to both reproduction and parenting. Women aren’t just becoming men’s equals. It’s increasingly clear that “mankind” itself is a gross misnomer: an uninterrupted, intimate and essential maternal connection defines our species. . . .
https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/reproductive_rights/2012/08/new-york-times-op-ed-contributor-questions-the-reproductive-role-of-men.html