Who are Men’s Rights Activists?

This appeared in The Millennial Source

In some ways, Men’s Rights Activists (MRA) appear to be the male equivalent of feminists, a group of people — consisting of both men and women — dedicated to the equality of the sexes.

However, the history of the Men’s Rights Movement (MRM) is complex, fueled as much by genuine concerns for equality as disdain for feminism and women in general.

Depending on who is asked, the movement is either seen as a refuge for abused men or a breeding ground for misogyny and anti-female violence. As with most social movements, the reality is complicated.

The Men’s Rights Movement

For English speakers, the first gender-specific use of “men’s rights” to refer to the rights of males is generally credited to a February 1856 article in Putnam’s Monthly Magazine, a periodical that was once printed in New York City.

In an article entitled, “ A Word for Men’s Rights,” the author argues for allowing men to divorce an “uncongenial wife.” The author laments that “the husband cannot lay his finger on his wife in the way of chastisement” without risking being arrested or sued for divorce.

The author suggests, with some of the trademark sexism of the era, that women should agree to…