Men and marriage

This book examines the loss of the family unit and the well-defined gender roles it used to offer and how this loss has changed the focus of our society. Poverty, for instance, can result from the destruction of the family when single parents are abandoned by their lovers or older women are suddenly divorced because society approves of the husband's new, younger girlfriend. Gilder claims that men will only own up to their paternal obligations when women lead them to do so and that this civilizing influence, balanced with proper economic support, is the most important part of maintaining a productive, healthy, loving society. He offers a concrete plan of action for rebuilding the family in America. His solutions challenge readers to return to these roles and reestablish those family values which were once so crucial in staving off the ills that plague our country. --from back cover.