University of Cape Town | Department of Philosophy

While the manifestation of sexism against women is widely acknowledged, few people take seriously the idea that males are also the victims of many and quite serious forms of sex discrimination.

So unrecognized is this form of sexism that the mere mention of it will be laughable to some. Yet women are typically exempt from military conscription even where men are forced into battle and risk injury, emotional repercussions, and death. Males are more often victims of violent crime, as well as of legalized violence such as corporal punishment. Sexual assault of males is often taken less seriously. Fathers are less likely to win custody of their children following divorce.

This book provides details of these and other examples of what the author calls the “second sexism.” He discusses what sexism is, responds to the objections of those who would deny that there is a second sexism, and shows how ignorance of or flippancy about discrimination against males undermines the fight against sex discrimination more generally.

Reviews and Responses:

Simon Blackburn's review, Times Higher Education, 5 July 2012.
Iddo Landau's review, Metapsychology Online, 21 August 2012.
Miles Groth's review, New Male Studies, Vol. 1, No. 3, 2012.
J.P. Messina's review, New Male Studies, Vol. 1, No. 3, 2012.
Jonathan Badiali's review, New Male Studies, Vol. 1, No. 3, 2012.
J Steven Svoboda's review, MensNewsDaily, 4 January 2013.

Media coverage:

Much of the media coverage inaccurately characterizes the arguments in The Second Sexism, but here’s a list of some of the main coverage, for what it’s worth.

Arifa Akbar “It’s tough being a man in a man’s world”, The Independent, Friday 13 April 2012.
Peter Lloyd, “Q&A: Prof David Benatar”, The Pink Paper, 26 April 2012.
Tom de Castella, “Who are the men’s rights activists”, BBC News Magazine, 2 May 2012.
Interview on “Newshour”, BBC Worldservice, 3 May 2012.
Interview on “Montcrieff”, Newstalk (Dublin), 4 May 2012.
Viv Groskop, “The second sexism: Is it time to stop ridiculing men?” The Times, 12 May 2012.
Elizabeth Day, “Lagging at school, the butt of cruel jokes: are males the new Second Sex?”, The Observer / The Guardian, 13 May 2012.
Interview on “Men’s Hour”, BBC Radio 5, 13 May 2012.
Chris Bell, “Hey Ladies, Stop the Man Bashing” & Eva Wiseman, “If men are sad, it’s not because women are happy”, Grazia, 14 May 2012, pp. 68-72.
Richard Godwin, “Forget about sexism – we’re all victims now”, London Evening Standard, 16 May 2012.
Suzanne Moore, “The Second Sexism is just victim envy”, The Guardian, 17 May 2012.

David Benatar’s response: “Men and Sexism”, The Guardian, 19 May 2012.

Andrew Donaldson, “Men on top and at rock bottom”, Times Live, 22 May 2012.
Rebecca Davis, “The Second Sexism – Discrimination against males”, The Daily Maverick, 22 May 2012.

David Benatar’s response: “The Second Sexism and (the ethics of) the Fourth Estate”.

Ally Fogg, “The Second Sexism: don’t judge a book by its press”, New Statesman, 23 May 2012.
Fionola Meredith, “Women don’t make men suffer, macho society does”, Belfast Telegraph, 23 May 2012.
Interview on “Everyday Ethics”, BBC Ulster, 27 May 2012.
Interview on “Right Hook”, Newstalk (Dublin), 29 May 2012.
Clementine Ford, “Men are marginalized, claims new book”, Stuff.co.nz, 30 May 2012.
Interview on “Phantom Feedback”, Phantom 105.2FM (Dublin), 31 May 2012.
Jacques Rousseau, “The new discrimination – against men”, The Daily Maverick, 13 June 2012.
Interview with Udo Carelse, Radio 702 & Cape Talk, 18 June 2012.
"Is anti-male sentiment for real?", Marie Claire (South Africa), August 2012, pp. 54-5.
Interview with Nancy Richards on "Otherwise", SAfm, 8 August 2012.
Samantha Sellinger-Morris, "The male mystique", Sydney Morning Herald, 19 August 2012.
Interview "Spectrum", Deutsche Welle – English, 20 August 2012.
Shane Green, "In the new sexism, men sense love (and life) is a battlefield", The Age, 25 August 2012.
Amy Tennery, "Does sexism against men exist?", The Jane Dough, 29 August 2012.