Phyllis Schlafly channels the manosphere with a column about female “hypergamy.”

The world’s most eligible bachelor?
Professional antifeminist Phyllis Schlafly – perhaps best known for her fervent opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment – seems to have been channeling the manosphere in a column she published yesterday on the issue of “paycheck fairness.” Turns out she thinks such fairness is actually a bad idea, because ladies love marrying rich guys more than they love earning money.
According to Schlafly, equal pay messes with the fundamental female desire for “hypergamy” – that favorite manosphere buzzword – and undermines marriage:
[H]ypergamy … means that women typically choose a mate (husband or boyfriend) who earns more than she does. Men don’t have the same preference for a higher-earning mate.
While women prefer to HAVE a higher-earning partner, men generally prefer to BE the higher-earning partner in a relationship. This simple but profound difference between the sexes has powerful consequences for the so-called pay gap.
Suppose the pay gap between men and women were magically eliminated. If that happened, simple arithmetic suggests that half of women would be unable to find what they regard as a suitable mate.
Indeed, Schlafly argues, women love marrying men who earn more than them so much that when the pay gap is eliminated some of them just won’t marry at all. Which is apparently the end of the world, or something.
The pay gap between men and women is not all bad because it helps to promote and sustain marriages. …
In two segments of our population, the pay gap has virtually ceased to exist. In the African-American community and in the millennial generation (ages 18 to 32), women earn about the same as men, if not more.
It just so happens that those are the two segments of our population in which the rate of marriage has fallen the most. Fifty years ago, about 80 percent of Americans were married by age 30; today, less than 50 percent are.
So it’s not enough that most people end up getting married; civilization will crumble if more than half of them don’t marry before the age of 30!
And so, she suggests, if American women knew what was good for them they would be begging for employers pay them even less, relative to men.
The best way to improve economic prospects for women is to improve job prospects for the men in their lives, even if that means increasing the so-called pay gap.
Hmm. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure that Schlafly – a best-selling author and popular speaker on the right – didn’t send back any of her royalties or speaking fees so that she would feel more like a woman and her late husband would feel like more of a man, and I doubt she’s doing so now, as a widow. She’s also been unmarried for more than twenty years. Coincidence?
NOTE TO MEN’S RIGHTS ACTIVISTS: When you find yourself agreeing with Phyllis Schlafly on pretty much anything (beyond, say, the existence of gravity, the need for human beings to breathe air, and other widely accepted beliefs of this sort), this is an indication that perhaps your movement isn’t the progressive, egalitarian movement that you like to pretend that it is, and that in fact it is sort of the opposite.
That said, I should also note that Schlafly’s notion of “hypergamy,” while sexist and silly, is decidedly less obnoxious than the version peddled by PUAs and websites like A Voice for Men — congrats, Men’s Human Rights Activists, you’re actually worse than Phyllis Schlafly!
She just uses the term to indicate a desire to marry up. For many manospherians, by contrast, “hypergamy” doesn’t just mean marrying up; it means that women are fickle, unfaithful monsters who love nothing better than cuckolding beta males in order to jump into bed with whatever alpha male wanders into their field of vision. (I’m guessing Schlafly hasn’t actually been going through the archives at AVFM or Chateau Heartiste looking for column ideas.) While many MRAs love to complain about hypergamy, many of them also seem to think that it’s unfair that “beta” males with good jobs aren’t automatically entitled to hot wives.
In case anyone is wondering, the actual definition of the word “hypergamy” involves none of that. According to Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, the word means “marriage to a person of a social status higher than one’s own; orig., esp. in India, the custom of allowing a woman to marry only into her own or a higher social group.”
That’s it. It refers to the fact of marrying up, not to the desire to marry up, much less to the alleged desire of all twentysomething women to ride the Alpha Asshole Cock Carousel. The manosphere’s new and not-so-improved definition came from a white nationalist named F. Roger Devlin.
ANOTHER NOTE: Big thanks to the people who emailed me about this story. If you ever see something you think would make for a good Man Boobz post, send me an email at futrelle [at] manboobz.com. I get a lot of ideas from tips!
Posted on April 16, 2014, in antifeminism, antifeminist women, hypergamy, ladies against women, misogyny, MRA, patriarchy, reactionary bullshit, reddit, special snowflaking, women's jobs aren't real and tagged anti-feminism, antifeminism, antifeminist women, men's rights, misogyny, pay gap, paycheck fairness, phyllis schlafly, reddit. Bookmark the permalink. 277 Comments.
I had a really long post written to address Pinky Pie here, but everyone else phrased their responses so much more eloquently, so I’ll just leave this here:
Pinky, women and feminists don’t owe you anything, not explanations, not replies, not nice treatment, not kisses on your hurt manly fee-fee boo-boos. Being male doesn’t grant you freedom from criticism for the things that come out of your mouth or from your keyboard. Nobody is required to be nice to you if you come barging in to announce your misinformed opinions all over the place. Instead of vehemently arguing for or against something that you don’t really understand, take a step back, take a deep breath and try really listening or reading what the people you’re arguing against are actually saying, instead of deciding what you think they’re saying in advance and arguing from there.
It’s hilarious that Pinky’s upset about us putting false words in his mouth and is all “I like accurary” when he said this:
and then we looked at what she actually said and it wasn’t that at all.
Also, I was willing to give him some “youth slack” but that comparing feminism to white nationalism was pretty beyond the pale. I just hope he someday realizes that the MRAs really are comparable to white supremacy groups.
Pinky,
Everyone else has your logic flaws well covered. I just want to point out one more thing. Rapists and rape apologists have always, always denied that rape is rape. It’s the oldest trick in the book. It’s tired bullshit that doesn’t fly. Not around here anyway.
Here’s a bunch of ways I’ve heard rape as being described as something other than rape.
They say marital rape isn’t rape because entering into marriage means you’ve given blanket consent.
They say raping a person who is passed out drunk or high is not rape because the victim wouldn’t have been alone with rapist while intoxicated if s/he didn’t want it.
They say preying on an underaged person isn’t rape. If the victim is a girl, she’s mature for her age and seduced the adult. If the victim is a boy, he can’t have been raped because all teen boys automatically want sex at all times.
They say it isn’t rape if the victim is wearing revealing clothes because a woman doesn’t wear revealing clothes unless she wants sex with anyone who can her.
They say it isn’t rape if the rapist bought her dinner first. After all, she should have known that the price of a surf and turf dinner is sex.
They say it isn’t rape if the rapist is conventionally attractive, because nobody would turn someone who is conventionally attractive.
They say it isn’t rape if the victim flirted with or made out with the rapist first. Doing those things is automatically consent to sex.
They say it isn’t rape if the victim has had previous sexual partners. Letting one dick is automatic consent for all dicks.
We’ve heard it all before Pinky. Stop trying to apologize for rape. You feign innocence because you are using someone else’s words. You aren’t innocent though. You tried to pass off rape apologia as a legitimate opinion. That makes you a rape apologist too. Please read up on consent and learn what it is before you reach adulthood. College campuses don’t need anymore rapists than they already have.
You also might want to familiarize yourself with the phrase “tried as an adult”, Pinky, because if you ever attempt to put the ideas that you’re flirting with into practice you may need it.
(This is another reason why I wasn’t feeling particularly inclined to be charitable. 15 isn’t just old enough not to be able to use youth as an excuse for not understanding these ideas, it’s potentially old enough to be a danger to the people around you.)
According to black women, feminists are pretty racist.
(Flails desperately)
That’s… that’s all you got, man? Really?
erh.
Okay.
I accidentally posted this in the wrong place, now I put it here too.
When pinky mentioned the white supremacy 101 or whatever, that was in response to the suggestion that e Google feminism 101, saying that they’d be biased. BUT. E misses the point. IMO reading white supremacy 101 would be a good place to start if you knew nothing of their claims. The point isn’t to get unbiased information, it’s to find out what they believe. Then the NEXT step is to investigate any claims they made.
Riian,
Already done that. Read it months ago.
Pinky, you read a feminism 101?
Pinky: Would you mind giving me a brief physical description? Just general stuff like hair color, preferred clothing style, etc.
Do you think the Black women who rightly criticize mainstream feminism for being white dominated, leveraging white supremacy, and marginalizing the voices of themselves and other women of colour are arguing in favour of the MRM, you disingenuous scumbag? What the fuck do you think a bunch of misogynists have to give to Black women?
There are plenty of feminist and womanist black women of color out there, you dolt. Feminism has a history of being white-centric and racist, but that doesn’t mean that women’s liberation is a worthless goal or that it’s inherently racist.
No, you don’t do your research. Try this shoddy bullshit in a classroom and watch a tsunami of red ink engulf your ignorant ass.
I’m guessing you do relish “bafoonery,” or you wouldn’t be here showing your ass.
…
“Gee, Superiority Complex, what do you want to do tonight?”
“The same thing we do every night, Pinky - argue pointlessly on the internet using out of date information we have misunderstood!”
[Theme song begins]
He’s Pinky, he’s got a claim
Yes, Pinky, he wants to rage against the dames
One think he is a genius
The others he’s tame
He hangs with misanthropic guys
Their lies they compromise
His dinky worldview, sighs
He’s Pinky and he’s lame, lame, lame, lame,
lame, lame, lame, lame,
lame,
Before each rant is done
His links he twirls
He starts another one
He really hates the girls
He’s Pinky and it’s lame
Yes, Pinky, your arguments are tame
His twilight campaign
Is easy to explain.
To prove his miserly worth
He’ll go on with a dearth (of facts)
It’s stinky
He’s Pinky and it’s lame, tame tame tame, lame
tame
laaaameee
Narf!
—————-
I don’t believe you’re 15. I think it’s a play for sympathy, and trying to make everyone here seem like a mean bully. You’re disingenuous and shortsighted and trying to prove a point by dredging up misunderstood things. It’s lame.
Lame lame lame
lame lame lame
fuck i’ll have that themesong stuck in my head all day now
Oh, and as the sovereign head of Fibin I’m also revoking your citizenship pass now that my point has been proven.
*I* believe he’s 15.
Well I guess I was a pretty insufferable, smug, superior, snide fool when I was 15, so I guess other people could be too.
It just seems a little too convenient, somehow. But I am feeling paranoid today, so that’ll be why.
Da dun dun dun dun
da dun dun dun dun.
There are actually plenty of other teenagers here - I’m one of them. No one here is going to take you more seriously just because you’re a kid who is trying to act precocious.
Nope. Traditionalism has been the driving force of the MRM ever since its emergence. Mainstream MRA websites praise gender roles and make arguments in favor of regarding men and women as inherently different. There are also plenty of MRAs who feel comfortable using racist and sexist slurs and dismissing trans people as mentally ill freaks. Check out AVFM if you don’t believe me. Then again, the thought of a 15-year-old reading AVFM is kind of troubling, so maybe you shouldn’t and just read this blog instead, which has documented a great deal of MRA bigotry and absurdity.
If you’ve done so much research and you want to prove us wrong, then show some citations. Anyone can claim to have done research, but not everyone can actually make that claim truthfully. Given your incessant point-dodging and half-assed, hypocritical accusations of immaturity, I’m inclined to not believe you have done any real research.
Anyway, you don’t seem to understand gender workplace discrimination as conceived by feminists. Gender discrimination isn’t found only in bosses telling women “I think you’re inferior, so I’m going to give you less money.” It is also found in the institutional set-up of society. Women as a group are less likely to be in positions of power and wealth, and that can easily explain why there are fewer female nurses with more advanced credentials (assuming that your research is correct). Women are taught to not be ambitious and instead focus on being useful to men. There are more factors that may be behind this phenomenon, but I have identified at least a few. Maybe you need to do some more research before you act all self-righteous and intellectually superior.
Oh, and here’s some research on how male nurses are privileged compared to their female counterparts due to gender bias: http://www.researchgate.net/publication/7010367_Career_choice_in_nursing_students_gendered_constructs_as_psychological_barriers.pdf
Pinky, my man, I highly recommend you read, learn, and internalize the First Law of Holes.
Addendum, since I know there’s teenagers at Manboobz and probably lurkers too (and I was teenager extremely recently) - him just being 15 isn’t what I take offense with, and it’s no offense either.
But being 15 and willfully ignorant, and then using it as a defense of that ignorance? That’s wrong.
Hmph, Pinky’s not responding. What should I make him look like?
Pinky,
You already got called out on your tendency to go off on another tangent once your arguments (and I’m using that word very generously) have been refuted. Yet, you do it again with the feminists are racist claim.
I don’t think you’ve read anything a womanist has written. Yes, feminism has often focused too much on white, straight, cis, middle to upper class women and their problems. That’s why some WOC, queer and trans women prefer to identify as womanists. If you think that means womanists agree with anything the MRAs say, you’re an idiot.
Also, do you think MRAs give two shits about poor men, queer men, trans men or MOC? No. They long to go back to the pre-feminist and pre-integration days. They hate any man who doesn’t conform to their archaic version of what a man should be. They tend to oppose anti-poverty programs. They pay lip service to the overly high number of men in prison in the US. Yet, they ignore the racist and classist aspects of our criminal justice system and act as though the deck has stacked against men. In fact, a middle or upper class man is not likely to be imprisoned, particularly if he’s white. Also, MRAs love capitalism and the proliferation of private for profit prisons is a huge factor in our high incarceration rate.
At least feminism is for the most part trying to be more intersectional. The MRM scoffs at the notion.
Have you got any other new tangents now that you’ve failed in your attempt at a “gotcha!” yet again?
You realize it’s generally black feminists who criticize mainstream feminism for being racist, right? Also maybe you should take a peek at your movement.
Black women do not all collectively share the exact same opinions, dude.
It’s BUFFoonery, and you’re soaking in it.
And on that note:
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…
>big breath<
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Wrongo, Pinky-pie. You are trolling, which is a very juvenile, immature 15-year-oldish thing to do. And your bullshit is being called out as the childish crap it is. And you are being mocked for it, which you thoroughly deserve. Go up to the top of the page and read what the banner says.
Nobody here is interested in a “discussion” based on tired old anti-woman fallacies. Capisce?
Changing the subject again, Pinky?
Can’t come up with anything to support your first bullshit claims, so to just move on to something else unrelated?
Why don’t you address everyone’s points about Schlafly’s view of marital rape? She is, essentially, condoning it, saying its okay; contrary to what you’re claiming. And what about VAWA and Adele Mercier? Forget about them, or don’t you have a leg to stand on here?
You came on here proclaiming that both Schlafly and feminist want “special protections” for women. You’ve yet to prove that feminists want “special protections” for women.
So what’s with all the ducking and dodging? Don’t have any rebuttals and too much of a coward to admit when you’re wrong?
Apparently, counting coup wasn’t as much fun as Pink expected. We actually counter his claims (no matter how quickly he changes them).
You guys are so mean. All he wanted was to be able to show off about how he stood up to the evil feminazis to the other boys, and you just had to crush his dream, didn’t you?
Heartless Bitches R Us.
Don’t cry, Pinky. I’ve immortalized you.
I… You… I… You…
Those are my words!
In a comic!
By someone who isn’t me!
This is the single most awesome thing.
Most awesome thing.
And it’s Pierre!
Oh my god that’s just… Wow. Uhm. Wow.
I will write all the russian battle poetry you could ever desire from here on till eternity, Katz. All of it.
Hail Stalin wait no no, no I swear, that came out wrong.
You two make a great team!
I guess that is the first Fibinachi script I’ve done, isn’t it? I was being a lazy slacker for most of the past few months when you were being so funny.
Seconding WWTH here!
Fibinachi has never been Pierre’d before? That’s astounding.
(Almost as astounding as Chrome’s autocorrect not objecting to “Pierre’d”)
Yoohoo, a new Pierre! And thirding WWTH.
Can’t believe I missed all the trolls on this thread.
Does this mean Pierre’s working for Google now … or that he’s infiltrated them? 0_0
Pinky: According to black women, feminists are pretty racist.
Half marks for being sort of right.
Full marks deducted for failure to cite, and abandonment of previous topics.
Which means you have, when all is said and done, earned negative marks.
LOL. Been doing the holiday thing with friends and family. I check back and these lame adults are still talking about me. #getalife.
Going to sort this experience with other interactions on the net with feminists to include on research paper on how irrational modern feminists are. Thanks for help!
Aww! Are you a class of sociology students?
I made you a gingery skater kid; I hope that’s OK. But I can change how you look if you like.
Seriously, this makes me so delighted. Will you share your paper with us? Please please please? Or an excerpt? Or at least tell us who you’re going to quote? I know I haven’t said much in this thread but you’re welcome to quote me talking about vagina toasters.
The unintentional irony is hilarious. A hashtag. Really?
But anyway, Pinky, you have my permission to quote anything I’ve said here, too. Good luck, kid; you’re gonna need it.
I feel so sorry for Pinky’s teacher.
Last word of advice, kid: Don’t use hashtags in your paper. It’s not something that those who wish to have their work taken seriously use.
Awww, Pinky took time out of his busy busy life to check up on us. Isn’t that sweet?
I kind of like the way Katz begs.
I feel sorry for Pinky. You gotta figure, this is probably the most attention ze’s got in awhile.
And from us “lame adults” too.
Oh, BTW, Pinky, using “lame” as an insult is ableist.
Oh, Pinky. You have lost every argument and now are resorting to name calling. I second Katz’s desire to see your paper. Something tells me that if you turn in a misogynistic screed about mean old internet feminists you’ll get an F. #redink
That is the sort of pedantry that (if the teacher is female) will scar a poor male student and make him bad at English for the rest of his life.
Hey Pinky, so tell us - what is it about the idea of feminism that actually frightens you? Not that it’s much use asking, since 1) you just jump around rather than answer anything and 2) you’ve shown you really haven’t a clue what feminism is about anyway.
Does the idea that women and girls are every bit as human as you are scare you? Or the idea that yes, men do actually get a shit-ton of privilege relative to women? Or the idea that being a man makes you neither better than women, nor worse?
Or is it simply that you don’t have the right to fuck any girl who takes your fancy?
I wonder which of our comments will be cited as irrational? I’m not sure what’s irrational about refuting poorly thought out arguments. It’s really too bad that we probably won’t get to his red ink covered paper. At least the teacher might use this as an opportunity to call his parents in and urge them to get Pinky counseling.
It’d be even funnier if the teacher (assuming there is a teacher, or that there’ll ever be a paper) came to read here, and then gave the boy wonder a smack with a clue-by-four.
Be sure to cite your sources properly so that people can look at the comments of this article and see proof of your dishonesty and goalpost-shifting.
D’aaaaaaaw…. The new Pierre comic a ‘la Fibinachi is adorable! Unfortunately, I also now have that theme song stuck in my head.
What are we going to do today…
Pinky: LOL. Been doing the holiday thing with friends and family. I check back and these lame* adults are still talking about me. #getalife.
Snert. Sonny, if you think I/we don’t have lives, you’re dumber than previous evidence suggests. Accusing those who take a few minutes to refute you (with arguments not only valid but supported), with being socially inept, because they did so; when the sole apparent purpose of the person to whom they are responding is to count coup against them, means the “life” of the person counting coup is so much less than theirs that such a coup is a moral and material victory.
Which is sad. Since we know what attainments we have, and you don’t; perforce we can actually measure the real merit of your claim against our lives. All in all, the odds are strong that, when weighed in the balance, we are ahead (and probably were when we were fifteen too.
*I say this as an adult whom the VA has certified to be lame as a result of bodily damage resulting from combat related issues. If you were referring to other people, who are not so afflicted you were being a different sort of ablist asshole, i.e. the sort who uses disabilities as a way to bemean those who are not disabled.
What I Did Over My Easter Break, by Pinky S. Highschool Student
Over my Easter break I found a list of MRA talking points on the Internet. I was going to fact-check them, but then my mom told me to take out the garbage. Women are always distracting men by telling them to do things, like taking out the trash or going to war. Anyway, after I took out the garbage I found this really old thread on a site that mocks the MRA, so I decided to share some of my talking points there. People responded to me, but none of them renounced feminism. It was very irrational! They said a bunch of other stuff that I didn’t have time to read. I shared another talking point. They still didn’t renounce feminism! They kept saying other things! I tried over and over with talking point after talking point, but they refused to admit that they have been wrong all along. This proves that feminists are irrational. Fin.
Can we keep this one? He’s clearly harmless, and he’s been amusing so far.
Only if you promise to take him for a walk every day and that you won’t forget to feed him.
And never, ever feed him after midnight.
Oh, and alternate dry and wet food while he’s still young. That way, he won’t have as much trouble adjusting when he’s older!
Also, we’ll have to get some spray bottles, to discourage eating loafers, clawing furniture, and eating electrical cords. And ableism. We’ll need to start correcting that bad habit right off the bat. It’s worse that bad house-training.
Oh, and we have lots of military, current and vets. Lots. No kidding.
Wrong thread on that last comment! Whoops. Goes over on the memes page, after the potlatch convo. Sorry, all!
Mentioning vets actually seemed on-topic for this thread…
Well, okay, but you know if he makes a mess on the floor you’ll have to clean it up.
Speaking of vets, has he a certificate of vaccination? You know what it’s like buying a pet from a troll-shop.