Is feminism castrating masculinity?

One step from the jungle to the zoo - Dr Hook said it back in the 70's. 

Men are hard wired to be our warriors, our leaders, our conquerors. They feel good about themselves when they are winning wars, hunting, providing, dominating on the sports field, exploring new frontiers, winning in the boardrooms, pushing their bodies and minds to its limits and traditionally they've done these things in the presence of other men. 

Men are physical beings. They express themselves through doing and they burn their energy through smashing their bodies and they've largely lost those ways of expressing themselves. 

Men today are confused.

Confused about what it means to be a man. 

The rules have changed and women have been quick to adopt and adapt, Whilst many men are still standing on the proverbial street corner feeling that they've become irrelevant. 

In the space of a couple of short generations men have found themselves feeling as though they are no longer necessary in the lives of the women they've fought for. 

Society may have changed but evolution will take far longer to catch up and men are finding that women, and society in general don't value what they bring to the table anymore. 

Many of the ways that men have gained worth aren't necessary anymore and they are feeling displaced and struggling to prove their worth, not just to women and society, but more importantly,  to themselves. 

Boardrooms have been infiltrated by women, Wars are a less common occurrence, their are few lands left to be explored, women earn their own money, in most parts of the world we don't need protecting, we have sexual independence and we can parent on our own. The role of men is no longer clearly defined or valued in the same way it once was. 

No longer is it ok to say "boys will be boys" and excuse dominant behaviour. 

No longer do we women need men to be our conquerors, our protectors, our providers .....or even the father of our children. 

The rules have changed and women expect men to be gentle, loving, attuned, in touch with themselves emotionally, supportive, caretakers and do half of the domestic duties and frankly its emasculating men. 

Data is suggesting that men's sperm counts are dropping each generation and that testosterone is decreasing. We are literally losing what makes men, men. 

We are making pussy cats out of our tigers. (Check out the lyrics to Dr Hooks song).

Now, I'm not suggesting that women should change their expectations about their men showing up in their relationships, that society should go backwards, that women should go back to their homes and embrace subjugation again or that an annual war should be held so that men can get it out of their system.

I'm simply recognising that men need places and ways of expressing their masculinity, and that, we as women need to recognise and allow that, and men need to embrace and explore that. 

Men perform best, show up best, when we allow them to be our heroes.