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The Myth of Male Power Paperback – January 1, 2001

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 479 ratings

Challenges the notion that men have more power than women by showing that most men are not threatened by equality between the sexes
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Editorial Reviews

Review

A deeply liberating work that empowers both sexes and deepens love...Read it, please. -- Harold Bloomfield, M.D.

Explosive...armed with hundreds of thoroughly documented statistics and legal citings...its very provocativeness.... --
Kirkus Reviews

Impressive and important. --
Nancy Friday

Intellectual dynamite...Farrell continues to open genuine communication between the sexes. --
Anthony Robbins

Powerful insights...For men and women, The Myth of Male Power could be an unforgettable wake-up call. --
David Kaplan, Houston Post

This is one terrific book...As groundbreaking and provocative as The Feminine Mystique was decades ago. --
Carol Cassell, Ph.D., author of Tender Bargaining

About the Author

Warren Farrell, Ph.D., is the author of Women Can't Hear What Men Don't Say and The Myth of Male Power. Dr. Farrell taught at the School of Medicine of the University of California in San Diego, and has taught psychology, sociology, and political science at Georgetown, Rutgers, and Brooklyn College. He is the only man elected three times to the board of N.O.W. in New York City. He lives in Encinitas, California.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Berkley Trade; Reprint edition (January 1, 2001)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 448 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0425181448
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0425181447
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.6 x 1.15 x 8.48 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 479 ratings

About the author

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Warren Farrell
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Dr. Warren Farrell began his research on gender issues in the ‘60s. His first book, The Liberated Man, was published in 1974. It was from the women’s perspective and the feminist perspective. By the ‘80s, he began noticing that men were feeling misrepresented, and his award-winning national best-seller, Why Men Are The Way They Are, was written to answer women’s questions about men in a way that rings true for men. The New York Post calls it "the most important book ever written about love, sex, and intimacy."

By the ‘90s, Dr. Farrell felt the misunderstandings about men had deepened and become dangerous to the survival of families and love. He confronted the misunderstandings head-on with the award-winning The Myth of Male Power, a book the The Library Journal ranked as “better than Robert Bly’s Iron John or any of Betty Freidan’s works.” (His books are published in over 50 countries in 15 languages.)

By the turn of the century Dr. Farrell wanted to provide the sexes with the tools to communicate-- in particular to hear personal criticism from a loved one, especially when given badly. That was the take-off point for Women Can’t Hear What Men Don’t Say, a selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club. By 2001 Dr. Farrell completed research he had been working on for 13 years on the conditions under which children of divorce are most likely to be raised successfully. That book, Father and Child Reunion, has renewed the commitment of many dads to be with their children, and its research has helped judges understand the importance of dads.

Dr. Farrell’s most recent research is published as Why Men Earn More: The Startling Truth Behind the Pay Gap -- and What Women Can Do About It. It documents the 25 differences between men and women’s work-life decisions. It was chosen by U.S. News and World Report as one of the top four “great career books to be read in 2006.”

Warren has appeared on over 1000 TV and radio shows, and been interviewed frequently by Oprah and Barbara, and by Larry King and Peter Jennings. He has been featured repeatedly on 20/20 and in The New York Times, in People and on Real People, in men's journals and The Wall Street Journal, and on the Today Show, the Tomorrow Show, and even To Tell The Truth.

Warren Farrell’s understanding of both sexes is symbolized by his being, on the one hand, on the boards of four national men’s organizations, and on the other hand, being the only man in the US to be elected three times to the Board of Directors of the National Organization for Women in New York City. Similarly, he has started over 600 men's and women's groups, and over 200,000 women and men have attended his workshops worldwide. He is the only person chosen to speak at both of former California Governor Wilson’s 1995 conferences – his Conference on Men and his Conference on Women.

President Johnson chose Dr. Farrell as one of the outstanding young educators in the United States. (The man's been around for awhile!) He has taught political science, psychology, women’s studies and sociology, and most recently taught at the School of Medicine at the University of California at San Diego. Dr. Farrell has been chosen by the International Biographic Centre of London as one of the World’s 2000 Outstanding Scholars of the 20th Century and, in quite a different take, chosen by the Financial Times as one of the worlds top 100 Thought Leaders. He has also been selected by the Center for World Spirituality as one of the world's spiritual leaders.

Dr. Farrell is in Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in the World, but his best moments are at home. He has two daughters and lives with his wife in Mill Valley, California, and virtually at www.warrenfarrell.com.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
479 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book engaging and thought-provoking. They describe it as an eye-opener that provides insightful analysis of male issues. The book is praised for its gender content, which is not anti-woman or anti-feminist. It highlights the misunderstood nature of male issues and outlines historical and modern gender roles with statistics.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

50 customers mention "Readability"45 positive5 negative

Customers find the book engaging and insightful. They describe it as a must-read for anyone who is curious about the issues men face in the coming decade. The author makes good points from an objective perspective, making it one of the most socially significant books ever written. Readers praise it as one of their favorite non-fiction works.

"...Overall, this is a fantastic read. It really did change my perspective of the world, and it made me a better person...." Read more

"...finished reading this book, and it one of the most insightful and scholarly works that I have ever read...." Read more

"This book being so well researched and laden with factoids ad nauseam makes it a tedious read...." Read more

"...is no attack on women or feminism, but is merely written from a truly objective perspective, and can be appreciated by anyone capable of objective..." Read more

49 customers mention "Thought provoking"46 positive3 negative

Customers find the book insightful and scholarly. They say it contains some of the best points and breaks it down to where the reader can understand. The book opens their eyes to new ideas and facts, debunking myths and presenting dozens of new ideas. However, some readers feel the book is too heavy on facts and statistics, making it a tedious read. Overall, customers find the work fascinating and open-minded.

"...It made a case for why male issues are misunderstood, it helped me set up a new, more reasonable framework, and then it allowed me to apply my own..." Read more

"...This book was critical to my understanding of men's issues and was instrumental in helping me in writing my first book "Swallowed by a Snake:..." Read more

"...What I appreciate most is that this book presents facts that are difficult to argue with and speak for themselves...." Read more

"I just finished reading this book, and it one of the most insightful and scholarly works that I have ever read...." Read more

11 customers mention "Gender content"11 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's gender content informative and balanced. They say it explains the feminist agenda and makes a case for why men's issues are misunderstood. The book provides historical and modern gender roles with statistics. It is recommended reading for male feminists, especially those who think they may get redpilled.

"...It made a case for why male issues are misunderstood, it helped me set up a new, more reasonable framework, and then it allowed me to apply my own..." Read more

"...This book is no attack on women or feminism, but is merely written from a truly objective perspective, and can be appreciated by anyone capable of..." Read more

"...It is not in any way woman-hating, in fact, Dr. Farrell is a staunch supporter of equal rights for both women and men and the former head of the..." Read more

"...Not at all anti-woman, unless you think that anything that is pro-male or talks about men's troubles or relative advantages of women is somehow anti-..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2014
    I highly recommend The Myth of Male Power for both male and female readers. The title of the book may sound a bit controversial, but the information inside of The Myth of Male Power is very reasonable. Dr. Warren Farrell makes his case about how male power in society is misunderstood, which he backs up with verifiable evidence. His credentials speak for themselves as he was elected three times to the Board of Directors for the National Organization for Women in New York City. Reading this book completely changed how I viewed issues in society.

    There are some issues in society that every reasonable person in society would like to end such as homelessness. Dr. Farrell outlines many of these issues, and he brings a fresh perspective to why these issues exist. Before reading this book I was always confused as to how society could largely agree that so many issues such as homelessness were wrong, yet that didn't create a drive in society to solve the problem. The Myth of Male Power helped me understand why these issues are not solved, and it gave me the tools to apply my own critical thinking as to how we can solve these problems in the future.

    Part of what I loved about this book is it didn't tell me what I was supposed to think. It made a case for why male issues are misunderstood, it helped me set up a new, more reasonable framework, and then it allowed me to apply my own critical thinking. This is the type of a book that you and a friend can read, gather completely different conclusions and perspectives from, and then you can have fun talking about the issues after. I personally read the book around 6 times already, and every time I read it I get something new out of it.

    There is also an aspect of this book that will help people improve their daily lives, especially in regards to relationships, especially for men. Most books about relationships really cater to women in my opinion. They tell us men how it's okay to talk about our feelings. That's not what most men want to hear, it misunderstands why men don't talk about their feelings in my opinion, and it makes relationship books very uninteresting for men.

    I know The Myth of Male Power wasn't meant to be about relationships, but it urges men to speak about their feelings, and further, it explains why men should speak out about their feelings. It really resonated with me about how my silence was hurting myself by causing others to misunderstand me, and it showed me how I was responsible for that mis-communication. Once I acknowledged this fact, I felt more empowered to talk to others in ways they could understand me. I realize now that in the past when I failed to communicate in relationships, it was because I felt that what I said wasn't going to matter anyways. I felt powerless, but I wasn't powerless, and in a way I have myself to blame for giving up on trying to communicate how I felt. Hopefully this can help me in future relationships.

    Overall, this is a fantastic read. It really did change my perspective of the world, and it made me a better person. Before I read this book I believed in equality for the genders, and this book won't even attempt to challenge you on whether or not you should believe in equality for the genders. What it will do is give you the framework to help you challenge yourself on what equality for the genders means. What more could you ask for in a book?
    18 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2014
    I was fortunate to have had this book recommended to me back in the mid 1990's. It had a profound impact on the way I perceived our culture and its assumptions having to do with men and women. This book was critical to my understanding of men's issues and was instrumental in helping me in writing my first book "Swallowed by a Snake: The Gift of the Masculine Side of Healing." I had been working clinically as a psychotherapist with men and boys for a number of years and this clinical work made me painfully aware of the cultural taboo towards a man's emotional pain. It was easy for me to see that people generally avoided men's pain but in the same breath claimed that it was men's fault for not expressing their feelings. This confounded me and left me wondering why this was the case. Farrell's book laid out the groundwork for why this was happening and stimulated a new understanding in me about men and emotions.

    His explanation might be summarized by saying that men are disposable. Farrell shows clearly how this disposability is related to our survival and has existed in every successful culture to date. This is not some nefarious plot. This has been going on for thousands of years. But the disposability of men has had a profound impact on men and on our culture and the book does a great job in helping us see how this has happened, the areas where the impact is great on men and importantly, how most of us are completely blind to all of this.

    For the ladies:
    Have you ever said in frustration "Men, they just don't make any sense" or something like that? Well, after reading this book you won't be saying that. You will understand him in a deeper way and this can only improve your relationships. I would recommend you get the book and read it, and discuss it with the man you love. Just the discussions can help move towards intimacy. When he feels you truly understand him, the bond between you will grow in a potent manner.

    For the men:
    This book will help you understand many of the ways that you have been treated that have remained a mystery to you. Knowledge is power. Hey, it's in kindle now with "text to speech" enabled. Have your kindle read it to you as you commute. Check it out.

    This book was ahead of its time in the 1990's and is still far ahead of its time in the 21st century. My hat is off to Farrell for such a comprehensive and well documented volume that helps us all in our understanding of men.
    68 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Lucas Galindo
    5.0 out of 5 stars Muito bom, pena que não tem em português
    Reviewed in Brazil on November 20, 2020
    Ainda estou lendo, mas é um ótimo livro!
  • crescendo63
    5.0 out of 5 stars An essential read for any thinking male
    Reviewed in Italy on November 18, 2018
    Before reading this book, I had a vague feeling that some feminist position was unfounded and men weren't as privileged as they said.
    But when reading it, I had a true revelation:
    - I saw that many feminist myths are highly unfounded (the wage gap, among many)
    - I realized women (in the Western world) are on average more privileged that men (sometimes way more)
    - I discovered the many ailments that trouble many men, and most people simply ignore (men included)
    - And I realized how deeply men, through the centuries and still today, have been considered "disposable" and have been "used" for the welfare of society in general, and women in particular.

    In the end, I realized more than ever how much we need a truly egalitarian approach in our society (an egalitarism that has been neglected for decades by many feminists).
    Without that approach, men and women will both keep struggling for power, and we will keep suffering because of that.

    If you're a man (or a woman) and you feel something is wrong with the world and the relationships between the sexes, you owe yourself this read. Everything will become much clearer after.
  • Gaurav Satle
    5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing! Highly Recommended!
    Reviewed in India on September 7, 2018
    We don't talk about men or see things from a point of view that works in favour of "men", do we? In fact, all our conditioning & thought process is developed and formed in a way that burdens men with responsibilities and we think men are born & brought up as powerful beings. But is it really so? This book brings on a fresh perspective to the way we think and see the world. Highly recommended for students and people who want to accept new ideas and develop new thought process!
  • SOmtah
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very impressive
    Reviewed in France on December 3, 2017
    The most interesting book I have read about masculinity. A must read for everybody interested synths subject. Very well written.
  • Bizkaitar bat
    3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting view
    Reviewed in Spain on July 18, 2017
    Although it was written many years ago, it is still actual, inspiring and clarifier. It helps to better understand the masculine psychology and its displacement of the present society.