Geoff Dench

Returning to some traditional gender roles, such as allowing men to be the primary economic providers, would better society, argues Geoff Dench in the following viewpoint. He asserts men cannot become more civilized unless they feel responsible for the well-being of others; therefore, Dench argues, women should not seek full equality in the marketplace because that will marginalize men. Dench maintains that women should instead return to their role as moral trustee within the private domain. Dench is the author of Transforming Men: Changing Patterns of Dependency and Dominance in Gender Relations, the book from which this viewpoint is taken.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. According to Dench, what is the basis for hostility toward voluntarily single mothers?
2. Why does Dench think that many women have been unwilling to...