Warren Farrell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Warren Farrell
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Farrell in 2021
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| Born | Warren Thomas Farrell June 26, 1943 Queens, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Author |
| Alma mater | NYU, UCLA, Montclair State University |
| Period | Contemporary |
| Genre | Psychological, social, political |
| Subject | Men's/women's/fathers' issues, gender, couples' communication, child custody, boy crisis |
| Literary movement | Women's movement men's movement fathers' movement |
| Spouse | Ursula Farrell (divorced) Liz Dowling (2002–present) |
| Children | 2 stepdaughters |
Warren Thomas Farrell, born on June 26, 1943, is an American writer and activist. He is known for his work on issues affecting men, women, and families. In the 1970s, he supported the women's movement. He even served on the New York City Board of the National Organization for Women (NOW) for three years.
Farrell has written nine books. These books explore topics like the history of gender roles, how couples communicate, and how child custody works. He believes in a "gender liberation movement." This means he wants both men and women to understand each other better. He suggests they should try to "walk a mile in each other's moccasins."
Contents
Early Life and Education
Warren Farrell was born in 1943. He was the oldest of three children. His father was an accountant, and his mother was a housewife. He grew up in New Jersey. He went to high school at the American School of The Hague for two years. He then graduated from Midland Park High School in New Jersey in 1961. He was the student body president there.
Farrell earned his first degree in social sciences from Montclair State University in 1965. As a college student, he was a national vice-president of a student education group. This led to him being invited to a White House conference by President Lyndon B. Johnson. He later earned a master's degree and a Ph.D. in political science from University of California, Los Angeles and New York University.
University Teaching Experience
Farrell has taught many different subjects at universities. These include psychology, women's studies, sociology, and political science. He also taught about gender and parenting. He taught at several universities, such as the University of California, San Diego, San Diego State, Brooklyn College, and Rutgers.
Supporting the Women's Movement
In the late 1960s, a new wave of the women's movement began. Warren Farrell supported it strongly. The New York City chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW) asked him to start a men's group. This group became very popular. He ended up forming about 300 groups for men and women. He was also the only man elected three times to the NOW board in New York City.
In 1974, Farrell left NOW and his teaching job at Rutgers. This was because his wife became a White House Fellow, and they moved to Washington D.C. They later divorced.
During his time supporting feminism, Farrell wrote articles for The New York Times. He also appeared on TV shows like the Today show and The Phil Donahue Show. His book, The Liberated Man, was inspired by his work with men's and women's groups. Even John Lennon joined one of his groups. This book talked about new ways for families and work to be set up. It aimed to help working women and encourage men to be caregivers.
Farrell was known for creating activities where people would switch roles. This helped men and women understand each other's experiences. One famous activity was his "men's beauty contest." Here, men would experience the feeling of being judged on their looks, like women often are.
Exploring Gender Issues
In 1997, Farrell shared why his views changed. He said that NOW was against joint custody for children after divorce. He felt that children should have equal rights to see both their mother and father.
Why Men Are the Way They Are
Farrell's books often start with a personal story. This explains how he came to write about certain topics. By the mid-1980s, he noticed women were expressing more anger towards men. He also heard men felt misunderstood. He wrote Why Men Are The Way They Are to help women understand men better. He also wanted men to feel that their experiences were truly represented.
He suggested that men and women often look for different things in a partner. He said women might be drawn to successful men. Men, he argued, might be drawn to young and beautiful women. He believed that the qualities needed for success at work might not be the same as those needed for a loving relationship. He also thought that very attractive women might learn more about receiving than giving. Less attractive women, he felt, might learn more about giving to others, which helps with love. This book became a bestseller, partly because Oprah Winfrey supported it.
The Myth of Male Power
In 1993, Farrell wrote The Myth of Male Power. In this book, he argued that the idea of men having all the power in society is not true. He believed that men are actually at a disadvantage in many ways. This book became very important for the Men's Rights Movement. It made Farrell a leading figure in this movement.
Some people disagreed with The Myth of Male Power. They argued that men earn more money, and money means power. Farrell agreed that men earn more. But he added that men often feel forced to earn money that someone else spends. He also pointed out that men tend to die younger. He felt that feeling "obligated" is not the same as having power. He explored this idea more in his later book, Why Men Earn More.
Communication and Child Custody
In the 1980s and 1990s, more couples were getting divorced. This led Farrell to write about two new topics. These were how couples communicate and how children lose their fathers in child custody cases.
In Women Can't Hear What Men Don't Say, Farrell suggests that couples often struggle to talk openly. This happens if one person feels unsafe when criticized. He created a method called "Cinematic Immersion." This method helps people feel safe and less defensive when receiving criticism.
To help children of divorce, Farrell wrote Father and Child Reunion. This book looked at many studies. It explored the best family arrangements for children after their parents divorce. The book found that children do better when three things happen. These are equally-shared parenting (or joint custody), parents living close to each other, and parents not speaking badly about each other. Farrell often used this research as an expert in child custody cases. He helped decide how to balance mothers' and fathers' rights for the child's best interest.
Why Men Earn More
By the early 2000s, Farrell wanted to understand the pay gap. This is the difference in how much men and women earn as a group. In his book, Why Men Earn More: The Startling Truth Behind the Pay Gap—and What Women Can Do About It, he listed 25 reasons for this gap. He argued that these reasons are mostly about the different choices men and women make in their work and life. He believed these choices explain the pay gap better than claims of widespread discrimination.
Farrell wrote that men often choose jobs that pay more. These jobs might involve working longer hours or more years. They might also be more technical or dangerous. Women, he argued, often make choices that lead to a more balanced life. These choices might mean less pay. He offered women 25 ways to earn more. He also explained the trade-offs for each choice. For example, earning more might mean traveling overnight or moving overseas.
Some of his findings in Why Men Earn More include that never-married women without children earn more than their male counterparts. He also found that the gender pay gap is mostly about married men with children. These men often earn more because they take on more work responsibilities.
A key idea in Why Men Earn More is that earning high pay often comes with sacrifices. He called this the "Pay Paradox." It means that the power of high pay comes from the power we give up to get it. He also suggested that men have more to learn from women. This is because women often have more balanced lives, while men earn more.
Does Feminism Discriminate Against Men?
In 2008, Farrell published Does Feminism Discriminate Against Men?. This book was a debate with feminist writer James P. Sterba. Farrell felt that university studies about gender often ignored men's positive experiences. He wanted to see if a positive view of men could be included in gender studies. Even if there was a feminist response, he wanted to test this idea. Farrell and Sterba debated 13 topics. These included children's and fathers' rights, and the "Boy Crisis."
Personal Life
Farrell married Ursula (Ursie), a mathematician, in the 1960s. They divorced in 1976 after 10 years of marriage. In 2002, he married Liz Dowling. He has two stepdaughters. They live in Mill Valley, California.
In the 2016 US presidential election, Farrell supported Hillary Clinton.
Other Activities
In 2003, Farrell ran for governor during the 2003 California gubernatorial recall election. He ran as a Democratic candidate. His main focus was on fathers' rights. He received 626 votes.
Today, Farrell leads communication workshops. He also works as an expert witness in child custody cases. He is researching a new book called The Boy Crisis with John Gray. In 2010–2011, he spoke at a world conference on spirituality. He talked about the evolution of love. He was then invited to be a world leader by the Center for World Spirituality. Farrell often speaks about issues affecting boys, men, and gender.
In 2009, the White House asked Farrell to advise the White House Council on Women and Girls. This led him to create a group to form a White House Council on Boys and Men. This group includes thirty-five authors and experts. They have studied five parts of a "boys' crisis." They suggested that President Obama create a White House Council on Boys and Men. In 2015, the group went to Iowa to discuss their ideas with candidates for the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
Farrell also appeared in The Red Pill, a 2016 documentary film. The film is about the men's rights movement.
Images for kids
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Farrell with Robert Redford, Sibylle Szaggars, and Liz Dowling
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Farrell speaking at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship in London, 2023
See also
In Spanish: Warren Farrell para niños
