No sarcasm or humor. And your reaction is totally understandable - I think most guys have this reaction. It's true that not ALL men treat women poorly, absolut

No sarcasm or humor. And your reaction is totally understandable - I think most guys have this reaction. It's true that not ALL men treat women poorly, absolutely. The clincher is that many guys treat women poorly without realizing it. In their minds, in fact, they're liberal types who are pro-choice, pro-equality, etc. The political comment was just my attempt at some humor. Living in the Bay Area I feel there's often a perception that "liberal guys" are automatically in the clear. So maybe that was a bit sarcastic. Chattels - yes, here in the US and parts of Western Europe, women are not enslaved. But the "voluntary and bi-directional" bit is one of the biggest falsehoods that we believe in collectively. Sure, it's voluntary - both people said "I do", right? Well, perhaps and perhaps not. You'd be surprised at the number of women (yes, even here in CA) who feel that their best bet for social mobility is marrying a guy who brings in money. In metro areas this is perhaps less true, but still very much a reality in many parts of this country. Whether women tell guys or not is another matter - in part because men just don't want to hear it. Do I believe that women were treated better in the past than they are now? Of course not. Women have gotten more rights and freedoms which is a good thing. The issue is that many guys assume (falsely) that just because women have these rights, they can continue to hold the same attitudes towards them in the past and things will continue on their merry way. I think gender/sex/family views are the most entrenched views that people hold and the most resistant to change. People are incredibly freaked out by any kind of "deviation" from what is considered the norm. So, that's why when I read these articles that talk about all kinds "socio-economic indicators" it sounds like complete BS to me. Not all of it, certainly, but if we're going to be candid I feel that it's the bottom line. Men need to learn how to treat women better. [UPDATE: interesting - getting downvoted]