沃伦·法雷尔

Warren Thomas Farrell (born June 26, 1943) is an American author, educator, and activist who has written about gender, particularly men's issues. Initially active in the second wave feminist movement of the late 1960s and 1970s, Farrell was a board member of the National Organization for Women in New York City and authored The Liberated Man (1974), which explored how traditional gender roles constrained both men and women. He obtained his doctorate in political science on the topic in 1974. His role-reversal workshops in the 1970s and early 1980s brought him mainstream attention. Over time, he grew critical of feminism and shifted his focus toward highlighting the disadvantages and challenges faced by men.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Farrell established himself as a leading voice in the emerging men's movement. His books Why Men Are the Way They Are (1986) and The Myth of Male Power (1993) argued that men are systematically disadvantaged in areas such as family law, education, health, and cultural representation. Farrell contended that men, often seen as "success objects," bore hidden costs of traditional masculinity, from hazardous work to military conscription, while facing rising cultural hostility. These writings were widely reviewed and translated.

Farrell's later books and talks broadened into broader relationship advice and advocacy on men's issues. Women Can't Hear What Men Don't Say (1999) and Father and Child Reunion (2001) addressed communication and parenting, with Farrell calling for greater recognition of fathers as caregivers. His subsequent books, including Why Men Earn More (2005) and Does Feminism Discriminate Against Men? (2008, with James P. Sterba), continued to argue that pay disparities and gender inequalities were rooted more in life choices and systemic biases against men than in widespread discrimination against women. In The Boy Crisis (2018, with John Gray), he emphasized the effects of father absence on boys' health, education, and well-being. His most recent work, Role Mate to Soul Mate (2024), extends his focus to couples' communication and conflict resolution.

Farrell and his work have regularly been featured at fora associated with the men's rights movement, including conferences, websites, podcasts and he is often described as the intellectual father of the movement. Farrell himself denies the activist label. His work, on gender and his abandoned research on incest have sparked interest, praise, criticism and controversy. Farrell has remained a prominent public speaker and commentator, advocating for what he describes as genuine gender equality by addressing the overlooked disadvantages faced by men and boys.

Early life and education

Farrell was born on June 26, 1943. He is the eldest of three children born to an accountant father and a mother who struggled with her role as a housewife. His mother suffered from depression, particularly when she was not working, and died age 48 after a fall. He grew up in New Jersey, but spent time in Europe as a teenager, which taught him to challenge orthodoxies and to listen to others. Farrell graduated from Midland Park High School in Midland Park, New Jersey in 1961.

Farrell received a B.A. degree in social sciences from Montclair State University in 1965. As a college student, Farrell was a national vice-president of the Student-National Education Association, leading President Lyndon B. Johnson to invite him to the White House Conference on Education.

When he was a junior, Farrell met his first wife Ursula ("Ursie") at a convention. He encouraged her to speak up as she had stage fright, and the couple married in 1966. The same year, he received an M.A. in political science from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Farrell obtained a Ph.D. degree, also in political science, from the New York University Graduate School of Arts and Science in 1974; his dissertation topic was "The political potential of the women's liberation movement as indicated by its effectiveness in changing men's attitude".

Feminist years

The Farrells' marriage began with the couple following traditional gender roles. Ursula worked but did most of the domestic tasks. Farrell, in contrast, focused on developing his career as quickly as possible so he could be the main breadwinner when they had children. A mathematician and IBM executive, Ursula enjoyed working, and offered to provide for the couple while Farrell did doctoral research in political science at the New York University. Farrell initially studied American government, but became interested in sex roles and the feminist movement and changed his dissertation topic. He joined the National Organization of Women (NOW) in 1969. Farrell quickly came to the conclusion that women could not be liberated until men were liberated from the constraints of their own ideas about masculinity. In 1971, he became coordinator of NOW's Task Force on the Masculine Mystique, and began a network of more than 200 men's consciousness raising groups throughout the US. For three years, he served on the board of directors of the NYC chapter of National Organization for Women (1971–74).

In the same year he finished his doctorate in 1974, Farrell published The Liberated Man; written from a feminist perspective and based on his experiences with the consciousness raising groups, the book noted that men are also victimized by sexism. For example, he observed that men were forced into a role as breadwinner/provider and socialized to repress their emotions. In parallel to women's experience as "sex objects", Farrell labeled men's experience as "success objects", judged by their status and potential to earn money. As a tool for change, he provided guidelines and suggestions for consciousness raising groups in which men confronted their sexist relationships. He also proposed using gender-neutral language, including pronouns such as 'te' instead of she/he; this approach was critiqued by reviews in the New York Times by Larry McMurtry and John Leonard.