SEX ANTAGONISM

Dominion, Volume 19, Issue 165, 9 April 1926, Page 4

SEX ANTAGONISM

Ono cannot help regretting Hie outburst of sex antagonism which has shown itself so strongly ot late rears, observes the V is?ouii<fess writing in the “Daily Mail.” This silly feeling began long before the war. and -was partly caused by the gradual incursion of women into occupations formerly monopolised by men. During the war it naturally died down, for both sexes were then working shoulder to shoulder. But since the war it Ims reappeared in many quarters It is not by any means all on one side; anti-feminism, in fact, is balanced by strong anti-masculine movements among certain groups iff women. I know of one coterie of intellectual women who actually hold that the evolution of women is tho prime purpose ol nature, and man is a mere excrescence—a side issue, a kind of incident.in the process of evolution. Some of tho women-haters are of the old-fashioned type who hold that woman’s place is in the home—as if, in tho majority of cases, she .did not have to rely on her own efforts to have any home at all! One significant fact I have observed is that where a clever woman is engaged in business or administrative work, it is always the stupid type of man who resents her presence. She makes him feel his inferiority, although it must bo subconsciously, for I do not think this sort of man is actually aware of it. I have even known men of gentle birth who. forgetting their ancient chivalry, were keenly desirous of preventing any woman holding a leading position in any undertaking with, which they were associated. But they were alwavs men of mediocre intellect. I have" not observed the snuio feeling amom- clever men: they never seemed to feel that their supremacy was threatened by the clover woman they generally showed themselves, able to cooperate with her and work in harmony.