The Wimp Factor

Gender Gaps, Holy Wars, and the Politics of Anxious Masculinity

Author: Stephen Ducat

In this eye-opening book on how male anxiety has come to shape political thinking and behavior, Dr. Stephen Ducat argues that there is a direct association between the magnitude of a man's femiphobia and his tendency to embrace right-wing political opinions. Ducat shows how anxious masculinity has been a discernible subtext in politics throughout the history of Western culture—from the political campaigns of ancient Greece to the contest for the presidency. He also explores why and how political issues—such as environmental protection, support for war, welfare reform, and crime and punishment—get gendered. Analyzing various aspects of popular culture, such as editorial cartoons, political advertisements, and Freudian slips made by politicians—and drawing on his own pioneering research on the gender gap—Ducat illustrates how men's fear of the feminine has been a powerful, if subterranean, force. "A deeply important insight in the hands of a gifted writer." —Arlie Russell Hochschild, author of The Commercialization of Intimate Life "[Ducat's] fresh and complex insights may reach a new generation of swing voters." —Publishers Weekly "Even those who disagree with Ducat's values can appreciate his skillful deployment of anecdotes, media, and wordplay." —Psychology Today Stephen J. Ducat is professor of psychology at the School of Humanities at New College of California, a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice, and a candidate at the Psychoanalytic Institute of Northern California. He lives in the San Francisco Bay area.

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In this landmark exploration of how male anxiety has come to define our political culture, Stephen J. Ducat shows the link between the desperate macho strutting of male politicians, the gender gap in voting behavior, and fundamentalist holy wars. He argues that a direct association exists between the magnitude of a man's femiphobia-that is, his terror of being perceived as feminine-and his tendency to embrace right-wing political opinions.From the strenuous efforts by handlers to counter George H. W. Bush's "wimp factor" to the swaggering arrogance that led to the moral and military quagmire in U.S.-occupied Iraq, anxious masculinity has been a discernible subtext in politics. Ducat shows how this anxiety has been an underlying force in public life throughout the history of Western culture, and also explores why and how certain political issues get gendered. Analyzing various aspects of popular culture and drawing on pioneering research on the gender gap, The Wimp Factor is a fascinating expose that will alter our understanding of contemporary politics.

Critic Reviews

“'A deeply important insight in the hands of a gifted writer.'--Arlie Russell Hochschild, author of The Commercialization of Intimate Life '[Ducat's] fresh and complex insights may reach a new generation of swing voters.'-- Publishers Weekly 'Even those who disagree with Ducat's values can appreciate his skillful deployment of anecdotes, media, and wordplay.'-- Psychology Today”

'A deeply important insight in the hands of a gifted writer.'--Arlie Russell Hochschild, author of The Commercialization of Intimate Life

'[Ducat's] fresh and complex insights may reach a new generation of swing voters.'--Publishers Weekly

'Even those who disagree with Ducat's values can appreciate his skillful deployment of anecdotes, media, and wordplay.'--Psychology Today

About the Author

Stephen J. Ducat is professor of psychology at the School of Humanities at New College of California, a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice, and a candidate at the Psychoanalytic Institute of Northern California. He lives in the San Francisco Bay area.