INTRODUCTION

NCFM formed in 1977 to address men’s issues. Since that time, a men’s rights movement has been steadily growing globally to address men’s rights that have been seriously neglected in laws and public policies worldwide. Men have been systematically discriminated against in parenting rights, child custody, criminal entencing, military conscription, education, domestic and sexual violence laws that neglect male victims and support false accusations, reproductive rights, genital integrity laws, international forced labor laws, public benefits and more, while men and boys face societal misandry and male bashing. Men make 80-99% of homeless adults, job deaths and injuries, incercarated persons, combat deaths, dropouts and suicide deaths (“attempted” suicide rates are unreliable because it is unlikely men report failed suicides as often as women do). Men also die younger than women and have higher mortality rates for 13 of the 15 leading causes of death. But instead of hearing about these disparities we relentlessly hear about gender disparities at the top of society (government officials, CEOs), which exist mainly due to expectation gaps (women still seek men who can be primary breadwinners) and because women have more options than men to be the primary parent, an option most women choose. The so-called “pay gap” is only a snapshot of average yearly full-time salaries, which does not account for overtime (90% male), commute distances, work flexibility, and numerous life choices, which, according to a recent study by the U.S. Department of Labor, are more likely the causes of the pay gap than discrimination. The fact that men make the majority of elected officials and business owners does not mean men’s issues are adequately addressed. That is what Warren Farrell aptly calls “the myth of male power.” (See “The Myth of Male Power; Why Men Are The Disposable Sex” by Warren Farrell, Ph.D.)