Member-only story
Men
Do Penises Matter?
What does it mean to be a man, and who cares?
Society used to have a lot of special jobs just for men.
They are generally physically stronger and their bodies do not bear or nurse children, so we gave them all the jobs that required brute strength or couldn’t be safely done by someone pregnant or holding an infant: fighting in wars, hunting, performing heavy farm work, building structures — all stuff that, in modern times, few men will ever be called on to do.
Maybe your husband has to go out and hunt big animals to feed your family, but mine doesn’t (and is a vegetarian in any case).
He hasn’t had to fight in any wars. He served his compulsory military service in the Netherlands mostly by working at a dental clinic where generals got their teeth cleaned, so look out if we ever have to wage war by biting each other: He is prepared.
He is pretty handy, which is good, because our old fixer-upper house always needs fixing up.
Is this what makes him a man?
No. Plenty of men don’t know how to wire a room or install a toilet, and some women do. Building stuff is considerably easier now, with power tools, than when our ancestors had to cut down trees with axes.
