Key Points

THE NINETEENTH AMENDMENT of the American constitution is considered to be a remarkable achievement in the history of women's rights in the nation. In 1920, the constitutional amendment prohibited the United States and its states from denying the right to vote to any citizen based on sex, essentially lifting the centuries old disenfranchisement of women.

Now, one man proposes to repeal the nineteenth amendment.

Pastor and theologian Douglas Wilson, co-founder of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, proposes a “voting by household” system, which essentially means that women would be stripped of their rights to vote and subjected to their husband’s political choices and opinions. Describing his ideal voting system, Wilson said, “we would do it in our politics the same way we do it in our church structure. And that is, we vote by household.” 

Wilson holds much sway in the local American society. His communion, based in Idaho, has established as a strong empire meant to disseminate theocratic ideologies in the US via a publishing house, a school, a liberal arts college, and a video-streaming service. Wilson’s denomination has over 170 affiliated churches, one of which counts US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as a member. In addition, Wilson has been called to the Pentagon to lead a service prayer earlier this year.

Of course, when an ‘opinionated’ person like Douglas Wilson talks, people tend to listen to his views.

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Wilson is considered to be an influential figure in the growing movement known as “Masculinism”. It is exactly as it sounds — the movement claims that feminism is “emasculating” men, and that they should have more power than women and that a woman's place is at home raising children and following her husband's wishes. The “movement” essentially advocates reasserting primacy to men and to fight the domination of feminism.

In her article for the Atlantic magazine, author Helen Lewis outlines the view of different conservative men who more or less agree with “masculinism,” and shared their views about men and women think about feminism.

“Small-breasted biddies,” “harridans,” “lumberjack dykes,” and “jezebels”

Wilson holds a very specific and frankly speaking, regressive view of what women ought to do in the society. Using terms like  “small-breasted biddies,” “harridans,” “lumberjack dykes,” and “Jezebels” to describe women — derogatory terms that demean women in one aspect or another,” Wilson believes women should “not ordinarily” hold political office and should never serve in combat roles in the military.

He also argues that husbands should exercise dominion over their wives’ weight, spending habits, and choice of television programs if they misbehave. 

Helen Lewis, in her article, discusses both the strong and weak points of Masculinism, as is typical of any digital movement. On one hand, Masculinism raises genuine concerns that plague men such as male loneliness, the declining share of men in higher education, stagnant wages for non-college-educated men, and the effects of day-trading, gaming, and porn. On the extreme side, Masculinism advocates for a political agenda that strips women of their autonomy, denying them the right to vote, work, and bodily autonomy.

Nick Fuentes and the ‘Breeding Gulag’ Remark 

A gulag is a specific type of forced labor camp operated by the Soviet Union during the early half of the 20th century. A modified version of the camp, specially termed “breeding gulags,” is what Nick Fuentes suggests for women. Fuentes is another such Masculinism advocate, a far-right political commentator catering to Gen Zs. During a livestream earlier this year, Nick commented that just like how Hitler sent jews and gypsies to labour and concentration camps, women — whom Nick considers “political rivals" — should be sent to forced breeding camps.

Fuentes's extreme views have surprised even Wilson himself, who thinks that the former is an undercover agent sent to discredit the Masculinism movement.

Scott Yenor’s ‘Vision’ for Women and Work 

Yenor describes women in plain terms — “medicated, meddlesome, and quarrelsome.” A teacher of political philosophy at Boise State University since 2000, Yenor has worked with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to repeal DEI — which stands for diversity, equality, and inclusion — programs. DEI programs are initiatives that aim to promote fair treatment of employees irrespective of gender and racial identity. Thus, it is no doubt that conservative men view them as a “threat” to white men.

Yenor also believes that law should be modified to allow businesses to hire only male heads of a household, or to pay them a family wage so that women need not to work. In 2021, he stated that colleges should refrain from admitting more women into engineering, and focus more on recruiting men who “become engineers.” He also holds a particular scorn for women who prefer advancing their careers rather than staying at home producing and nurturing babies.

How Popular Are Masculinist Ideas?

Even though these are isolated incidents and comments, research has pointed out how such views are becoming mainstream within the younger generation as well. A 2024 study by King’s College London and Ipsos — a market research firm — found that Gen Z men across 30 countries are significantly more likely than male Baby Boomers to believe that the fight for women’s equality has gone too far, leaving men at a disadvantage. They were also more than twice as likely to say that a father who stays home with his children is “less of a man.” 

Meanwhile, a survey by the conservative Manhattan Institute revealed that 83% of Republican men under the age of 50 believe society has become too feminized. Interestingly, the survey found that college-educated Republicans were more likely than their non-college counterparts to hold this view.

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Women Who Criticize Feminism 

You would think it would be only the men who hold this view. But nay, there are several women who too view feminism as the root of all evil. Rachel Wilson, Douglas Wilson’s wife, authored a book called “Occult Feminism,” which argues that feminism is “born of occult belief, because at its core, feminism seeks to make women gods over men, or at the very least to deify women.” Appearing on ‘The Joe Rogan Experience,’ America's most popular podcast, Rachel commented that women’s access to higher education is the no. 1 cause — regardless of economics, race, culture, status, anything — of falling birth rates around the world.

Podcaster Katie Miller, wife of White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller, parroted the same lament of how feminism is destroying the family, because “it pushed women into the workplace.” Katie, who previously worked as advisor to the Department of Government Efficiency, made this statement to Fox News presenter Laura Ingraham, while doing her own job as a podcaster to another woman who's also doing her job. Double standards, much?

As American Moral Philosopher Eric Hoffer said: “people who bite the hand that feeds them usually lick the boot that kicks them,” which more or less posits that people — such as women — who benefit from a system — like feminism — are also more likely to bash it.

(Edited by Harsh Pandey)

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