Anti-Feminism
	From times before the written history of mankind, men have been viewed as the “dominant” sex. Feminism (the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes) began in the early 1600s, when French women founded salons where educated women could socially interact as equals with men (Merriam) (Curiosity). As it has evolved, feminism has developed into a pursuit of equal rights, and some say that they are entitled to everything that men deserve. This statement is mostly correct; women deserve the same rights to vote, own land, and hold a job, just as men do. Yet, when it comes to certain issues – equality in the workplace (in regards to salary and position), equal opportunity for social acceptance, and others – their arguments have several holes. However, there are some feminists who take these views to the extreme, and claim that men alone are responsible for all the evil that has befallen the world. Some even go so far as to suggest that all men be humiliated in public and treated as slaves, simply because they were born with an X chromosome (“The Cult”). To separate the two distinct groups of feminists, the anti-male feminists will be referred to as “AM” feminists, while the other group shall be called feminists. Anti-feminism is the fight against these radical views: both men and women saying that these women’s arguments do not come up to par, and rallying against the view that men are sexist solely because they are men (Collazo). While this view is rather controversial, it is an important part of the quest towards equal rights for all humankind.
	Women feel that in the workplace they should have same opportunities for employment, wages, and benefits that men have. While equal opportunities for employment and benefits for men and women should be a staple in any company, equal salaries should not. Another false claim used by the AM feminists is that women are rarely chosen for high level executive positions and mid-level management jobs. However, many women are managers, and quite a few are CEOs of large companies; not as many as men, but a large number nonetheless (“Men Benefit”). If a woman wants to work her way up to be the CEO or other high position in a company, that woman has the right to exert the effort necessary to make herself noticeably worthy of receiving that position; simply because an employer does not select her for the job does not mean automatically men that they are sexist. It simply means that someone else worked harder, had a better résumé, or had better connections/references. If a female can claim that a man was chosen for a job over her simply because she was a woman, could not a man say that he was not chosen for the position because the employer was trying to fill a quota for women employees?
	A major hole in the AM feminist argument for equality is that women receive maternity leave for up to three months before and three months after birth. Men, on the other hand, typically receive only one month paternity leave, if they are even allowed that (Williams). This means that a woman who is looking to start a family will work fewer hours per year than a man in the same situation, which reduces the productivity of the company. AM feminists also claim that the average male salary is much higher than the average female salary (“Do Men”). They claim this is another way men perpetrate their patriarchal society and agenda. However, men are paid more on average than women because more men perform dangerous, and thereby higher-paying, jobs than women do. Working in the mining and oil industries are just two examples of the many high-risk, high-reward careers that men choose to pursue (Tobak). These jobs pay more because there is a high risk of injury or death involved; no sane person would perform such dangerous work for a salary that did not provide opportunity for wealth. Many of these jobs also require incredible strength of body, which the average woman does not possess.
	As an added bonus to the argument against AM feminists drive for equality, men are underrepresented in the courtroom. According to one Kansas law, if a man was to participate in consensual sexual intercourse with a female and she had a higher BAC (blood alcohol content) than the male, it would be considered rape; if the situation is reversed, where the woman was the sober party, the court would not even see the case. This brings up the next topic: rape. The AM feminists preach that society teaches women to not get raped rather than teaching men to not rape. This claim is false. Every sane person, man or woman, knows that rape is wrong. However, if a female is walking down the street wearing extremely revealing clothing, a man might assume that she is looking for a partner. AM feminists claim the “right” to wear whatever clothing they wish, but then complain when men are attracted to their revealed bodies. Likewise, if men were to wear revealing clothing in the same manner some women do, they could get arrested for indecent exposure or lewd behavior. The AM feminists also claim that men have to be “sexually aroused” to be raped; this statement again is false. (Insert things about how a man can get hard without wanting to or how a woman can get a man hard without him wanting to participate in intercourse.)
	The typical AM feminist argument is that at some point in history, somewhere in the world, men oppressed women, and that this translates into “you, being a man, oppress me, for being a woman.” This is an unnatural, illogical hatred towards an enormous group of people who are not responsible for any perceived slights. Following this logic, Britain declaring war on America in 1812 is the reason for America’s current political bickering. The flaws in AM feminist arguments on the topics of salary, job position and social equality are both frequent and glaring. A group that wishes to fight for equality needs to have clear cut facts and evidence of discrimination, and not use arguments that are hypocritical, assumptive, or blatantly false. The entire concept of anti-male feminism is corrupt, and it is time for men and women both to start fighting back against these biased, egregious claims of inequality.