Part of the problem here lies in the misperceptions regarding men as caretakers.

An anecdote: There was an episode of The View that aired some time ago, while Rosie was still on. The guest that day was Teri Hatcher, and they were discussing “mannies”: male nannies. All the panel members, including Hatcher, stated they would never let a male care for their children. Reasons cited included violence and possible sexual abuse.

While we applaud the strides feminism has made, we must remember: men make up fully half our population, and to exclude us from conversation regarding or participation in childrearing activities grossly neglects our role in our society.

Too often, con artists and abusers highlighted to show the plight of fathers in our nation. The fact is, the vast majority of men have a vested interest in making sure children (both ours and others’) are raised right; after all, we have to live in our society with them, too.

Nothing would help feminism more than a generation of children who value both the male and female perspective. Nothing would help that happen more than a generation of parents who allow both men and women to participate in raising kids.