The Man-Woman Thing

Before too much time passes, I'd like to note Warren Farrell's new book "Why Men Earn More." Warren Farrell attributes the pay gap between men and women mostly due to different hours-per-week the sexes work, as well as the absence of women in difficult or hazardous occupations. Farrell was interviewed by Claudia Deutsch of the New York Times on February 27th. Farrell also appeared on C-SPAN in late February, speaking (I believe) to Stanford's (influential and conservative) Hoover Institution.

I remember Warren Farrell as one of the 135 California Recall gubernatorial candidates, however. Farrell was an exponent of what might be called the Men's Movement, or the Father's Movement - sort of an echo of feminism, stressing the needs of men going through divorce: for example, to retain visitation rights to children, to cope with demands of alimony in a rational manner, etc. Farrell's platform promoted "legislation to force courts to grant divorced fathers equal time with their children."

William "B.J." Wagener, host and producer of a television program called "On Second Thought," and who was so helpful getting media coverage for the alternative candidates, was one of Farrell's biggest supporters, but Wagener seemed to have *issues* regarding divorce. I wondered whether Farrell had *issues* as well. In Deutch's NY Times interview, Farrell is described as stressing calm objectivity regarding men's/women's issues:

Although he has written extensively about issues like sexual harrassment and fatherhood, he says he is not spurred on by personal experiences. "I've always been motivated to stop people from doing dysfunctional things," he said.

Still, with groups like "Fathers Mentoring Fathers" out there, trying to address the needs of divorced men through a judicial system guaranteed to lead to frustration, I can't help but wonder.... It takes a lot of work to write a book. How entwined are Farrell's personal experiences with his research? Is it possible for anyone EVER to separate the personal from the political? SHOULD one separate the personal from the political, and if so, how? Is advocacy an adequate response to dysfunction?

(I suppose I could just send an E-Mail and ask his response, but it's more fun to pose the questions unanswered.)