What modern men can learn from feminism

What if the feminist movement — arguably the most successful identity movement of the last 100 years — holds the roadmap for how men need to evolve today?

In this episode of A Good Length, I make the case that feminism expanded what a woman could be, while men's internal idea of manhood stayed largely unchanged. That mismatch is at the heart of the modern male identity crisis.

Drawing on Simone de Beauvoir, Betty Friedan, Richard Reeves, Andrew Huberman, Anna Machin, Jordan Peterson, and Warren Farrell, I walk through seven lessons a healthy masculinity movement can take from feminism's playbook — from expanding identity beyond provider/protector, to building brotherhood, to separating advocacy from hatred.

I also get personal: what domestic, parenting, and emotional independence actually look like for fathers, why they matter in family court, and what I learned rebuilding my own life after divorce.

This is a conversation about expanding masculinity, not erasing it. Share it with a man who needs it.

I'm Dr. Venu Bhamidi. I hope this one lands on a good length.

References:

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2023). Suicide and self-harm monitoring. AIHW. https://www.aihw.gov.au/suicide-self-harm-monitoring

Brown, B. (2012). Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead. Gotham Books.

Cigna. (2020). Loneliness and the Workplace: 2020 U.S. Report. Cigna Corporation.

de Beauvoir, S. (1949). The Second Sex. Gallimard.

Farrell, W. (1993). The Myth of Male Power. Simon & Schuster.

Friedan, B. (1963). The Feminine Mystique. W. W. Norton.

Huberman, A. (2022). The Science of Emotions and Relationships. Huberman Lab Podcast.Episode 13.

Kimmel, M. (2008). Guyland: The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men. HarperCollins.

Levant, R. F., & Richmond, K. (2007). A review of research on masculinity ideologies using the Male Role Norms Inventory. Journal of Men's Studies, 15(2), 130–146.

Machin, A. (2018). The Life of Dad: The Making of the Modern Father. Simon & Schuster.

Perel, E. (2006). Mating in Captivity: Unlocking Erotic Intelligence. HarperCollins.

Peterson, J. B. (2018). 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos. Random House Canada.

Reeves, R. V. (2022). Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why ItMatters, and What to Do About It. Brookings Institution Press.

van der Kolk, B. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Viking.

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). How Australians Use Their Time, 2020–21. ABS. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/people-and-communities/how-australians-use-their-time

Family Law Act 1975 (Cth), s 60CC — Factors in determining what is in a child's best interests. Federal Register of Legislation. https://www.legislation.gov.au

Machin, A. (2018). The Life of Dad: The Making of the Modern Father. Simon & Schuster.

Australian Institute of Family Studies. (2023). Families Then and Now: Parenting. AIFS. https://aifs.gov.au

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