Men's Rights, Gender, and Social Media

Book excerpt: This work examines the contemporary men’s rights movement (MRM), a mainly online movement that claims men are oppressed by gender norms, women, and feminism. While some feminists and other progressives have dismissed the movement as simple misogyny, this book argues that the MRM expresses a growing cultural trend in male anger and frustration, and is an extreme manifestation of what has been previously referred to as a “masculinity crisis.” In order to assess the implications of the MRM for gender politics, this book explores the movement politically, investigating the ways in which online communication and media outlets have impacted contemporary meanings of identity, gender, language, and political engagement. Furthermore, a discussion of various issues promoted by the MRM, such as parenting, divorce, employment, and violence, provide deeper insights into the issues surrounding masculinity and gender politics in current sociopolitical contexts.