Good Will Toward Men 1994/2025: Women Talk Candidly About the Balance of Power Between the Sexes

Good Will Toward Men is a provocative and constructive collection of in-depth dialogues between Jack Kammer—a Baltimore-based writer and men’s issues advocate—and twenty-two accomplished, diverse women from across North America. The participants include attorneys, therapists, academics, journalists, and activists who speak candidly about masculinity, fatherhood, and the current state of gender relations.The book’s central premise is that the national conversation on gender has been dominated by a female-centered perspective, leaving men’s legitimate concerns unspoken, unaddressed, and socially stigmatized. Rather than attacking feminism outright, Kammer and his interviewees challenge a culture that scrutinizes sexism against women while treating sexism against men as trivial or nonexistent.Key Themes and ConceptsSexism as a “Reciprocating Engine”: The book posits that sexism is a vicious cycle harming both genders. It suggests that women cannot achieve true autonomy as long as men remain strait-jacketed by rigid societal stereotypes.The Maximum Security Prison of Manhood: Social norms—reinforced by both conservative and feminist frameworks—imprison men in narrow roles. While often perceived as having power and privilege, men face harsh realities including higher suicide rates, shorter lifespans, emotional isolation, and the onerous duty of being valued primarily only for their role as an economic provider.Fatherhood as the Holy Grail of Masculinity: A major focus is the devaluation of fathers in work/life balance, divorce, custody law, and social policy. The contributors argue that the concept of the disposable father is a social malady and they advocate for shared custody, recognizing that children and men suffer when fatherhood is reduced to a mere financial obligation.Challenging Radical Narratives: Contributors critique ideologies that amount to male-bashing, assumptions of female moral superiority, or a woman-as-victim mentality. They advocate for a feminism that pursues equal rights for women as distinct from more rights for women.Addressing Taboo Topics: The dialogues courageously explore sensitive subjects, including domestic violence against men, false accusations of rape, and the ways in which women use covert power and shaming to maintain societal imbalances that favor them.The 2025 Edition and Updated “Theory of the Case”The 2025 edition includes three new appendices and updated introductions discussing how the gender landscape has shifted over three decades. Kammer lays out the case that modern feminism has strategically slandered men, particularly about traits that are essential to effectiveness and success in parenthood and family relationships to preserve women’s dominance in those arenas. The argument is anchored in contemporary research suggesting that the deepest implicit bias in American culture is bias against men.Notable VoicesThe interviewees represent a broad ideological spectrum, featuring figures such as:Karen DeCrow: President of NOW, 1974-1977 (explaining why equal rights for men in parenthood are essential to women’s equality in business, careers and government)Helen Fisher: Anthropologist (discussing sexual harassment and sexuality).Suzanne Steinmetz: Sociologist (discussing domestic violence against men).Rikki Klieman: Attorney (discussing false rape accusations).Conclusion and ToneThe book maintains an earnest, accessible, and bridge-building tone. By featuring women making the case for fairness toward men, the book provides the argument with unique credibility and emotional resonance. Ultimately, the book calls for “Passivist” women to help create a permission structure for men to express their needs and build a more equitable society together with women. Read more