In this episode of Now and Men, Dr Angelica Ferrara discusses these issues and more, drawing upon her recent article (with Dylan Vergara) ‘Theorizing mankeeping: The male friendship recession and women’s associated labour as a structural component of gender inequality’.
Male friendships are reportedly in a recession, so it seems many men are leaning heavily on their partners for emotional support. Dr. Angelica Ferrara coined a term for that: mankeeping. It explains how women often take on the roll of managing men’s social lives, from checking on their friendships to being their sole emotional sounding board. Dr. Ferrara is a visiting fellow at the London School of Economics and her research explains why “mankeeping” impacts not just men themselves, but everyone around them, especially women.
In this Clayman Conversations event at The Clayman Institute for Gender Research at Stanford University, leading scholars and journalists discuss how masculinity has emerged as a cultural concern and the role of the feminist movement in contributing to an unfolding dialogue on the state of men.