Jobless Men Are Brutes
Unemployed men are supposed to be these sad, sappy wimps. That's the stereotype the infamous DABA girls riffed on. But the distinguished historians at Newsweek predict they will follow "their worst hypermasculine impulses."
Unemployed men do less housework than their employed brethren despite their new-found free time, according to a study cited by the magazine.
What do they do? Well, in 20th century recessions they drove up business in big-city saloons, created man rooms in their homes, ordered bodybuilding equipment and tried to get women fired from their wartime jobs for being women.
American men have responded to layoffs with consistency through the years: seeking solace in the bottle, railing against women, walling themselves away in all-male enclaves and searching for vicarious achievement through sports and popular culture.
This time things could be different, because men on the whole are less inhibited by gender expectations and thus less likely to 1) feel depressed and thus get all drinky and belligerent and 2) more likely to actively take up "girly" activities like cooking and taking care of the kids.
On the other hand, a disproportionate number of those laid off in this downturn are bankers. Good luck turning those guys into sensitive Park Slope-daddy types.
