* Figleaf points us to the myth that masculinity is perpetually "in crisis," from Rip Van Winkle onward.

* Amanda Marcotte on risk assessment in child-rearing:

There's so much pressure in our society not to talk about the very real risks of child-rearing, usually because of superstitious fears that talking makes it true. But I tend to think that it's best if people walk in with their eyes wide open. If you know that the risks include strained or terminated marriages, constant stress, and the inability to move about freely for many years, and you decide those are risks you're willing to take, then that's great. And I certainly believe the sense of satisfaction will outweigh the headaches for that person.

* Via Geek Feminism Blog: Is there a lady track at your workplace?

* Tracy Clark-Flory asks why more women don't shop at Best Buy. Speaking as a woman who has continually marveled at the fact that Best Buy stores still exist, I'm frankly impressed that anyone shops at Best Buy. Turns out there's also some sexism involved.

* D.C.'s Catholic University has got itself a new president. He's not a priest—the first not-priest to lead the university since 1982. So how does he feel about premarital masturbation?

Photo via The Library of Congress

The other day, a friend of mine received a helpful pamphlet outside of the Metro entitled "Real Women vs. Fake Women." This handy guide—which reveals which ladies in your life are authentic and which are fake, make-believe women—is excerpted from Allan Williams' book, God Don't Like Fake People. In the book, Williams also tackles "real" and "fake" men. But more on that later—ladies first!

Women: Are you real, or are you fake? I've adapted Williams' tips into a handy fifteen-question quiz. Find out after the jump!

ONE.

a. You are very clean.

b. You put time, focus and energy into your booty.

TWO.

a. You are easy to please.

b. When you receive a compliment, you look at the person who gave it to you as if they were the scum of the earth. However, you are addicted to compliments, and if you go a day in public without getting one you will start getting insecure and looking in the mirror every 20 seconds.

THREE.

a. You cherish the simple things in life that are the really big things in life, like God.

b. You only mention God when you say “Oh MY GOD!!”

FOUR.

a. You intend to get married or have kids early in life.

b. You intend on having kids later in life, possibly as a single parent.

FIVE.

a. You don't have a lot of male friends.

b. You have a lot of so-called male friends.

SIX.

a. You are simple in nature.

b. You deal with multiple men at a time and claim that they are just male friends while steady fornicating with them.

SEVEN.

a. You love straight-forward simple men that need you.

b. You often cheat on your so-called boyfriends with coworkers at your job.

EIGHT.

a. You will take love over security because you know that true love always manifests itself in the physical form eventually.

b. You meet and talk to guys on Myspace.com or Facebook.com that your so-called boyfriends or husbands don’t know about it.

NINE.

a. You can't stand quiet feminine guys.

b. You are always getting into relationships with men that are on the down low.

TEN.

a. You don’t drink or smoke but will perhaps drink a tad bit on occasion.

b. You often drink a lot and sometimes smoke because you get taken out so much, and that’s why you don’t know how to cook and are often very filthy and dirty.

ELEVEN.

a. You speak your mind to your man but don’t mind being submissive.

b. You lack common sense.

TWELVE.

a. You know how to cook and clean.

b. You only work out mostly in the spring time because that’s when you get to compete against unknown females and your fake friends on who got the best body and tattoos.

THIRTEEN.

a. You are clean.

b. You are very used up.

FOURTEEN.

a. You are just happy to be in a real man’s presence.

b. You look pretty but your inside organs and your vagina are work out because so many male private parts have visited there.

FIFTEEN.

a. You are too into your mate to have time and energy to spend with another man.

b. You don't know that you are the cause of your own misery.

—

MOSTLY As: Congratulations! You are a real woman.

MOSTLY Bs: You are a fake woman who may or may not have personally annoyed the author of God Don't Like Fake People by: cheating on him with your so-called friends, co-workers, and Facebook acquaintances; drinking alcohol; having a worked-out vagina; being a single parent; or simply refusing to go out with him. As a result, God doesn't like you. For more information on your condition, read the entire excerpt here.

Photo by gailf548

How to make millenials care about gender equality: Harry Brighouse, philosophy professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, created a quiz to help his millenial students understand why studying "gender justice" is still relevant to their generation. Let's take Brighouse's quiz to quickly determine whether gender equity in parenting is an issue we still must care about, or suimply a relic of our messed-up grandparents' marriages. Follow along!

1. Are you male or female? (If you’re not sure, just pick one, if you reject the question, sit out the exercise).

2. During your teen years did you get paid to do babysitting more than 10 times?

3. Do you anticipate having children? If not, sit this out.

Here are three kinds of parenting arrangements:

a) Father led parenting: the father spends substantially more time than the mother looking after the children and thinking about their wellbeing over the course of their childhoods

b) Mother led parenting: the mother spends substantially more time than the father looking after the children and thinking about their wellbeing over the course of their childhoods

C) Egalitarian parenting: the mother and father spend roughly the same amount of time looking after the children and thinking about their wellbeing.

4. Think just about yourself for the moment. Which of A, B, and C best characterizes your expectations for your prospective family life?

5. Now think about your FIVE best friends. Which of A, B, and C best characterizes your expectations for most of their family lives? (eg, you expect 3 or more of them to be Father-led, answer a).

I'm proud to say that Brighouse's quiz essentially does not apply to me. I didn't babysit more than ten times as a teenager; my brother, who now works as a teacher in Watts, dealt with the little brats in high school. My parents—also Wisconsin-Madison alums—shared parenting duties throughout my childhood; often, one of them was living in a different state, working or earning a degree, while the other lived with my brother and myself. Also, I don't really anticipate having children (famous last words). Eat it, Brighouse!

A survey of Brighouse's students, however, found that expectations of mother-led parenting persist among my generation. Brighouse found the following data fairly consistent:

- About 5 percent of males answered "yes" to the babysitting question; 65 percent of the females did.

- No males expected their children to be raised in father-led homes; 85 percent expected them to be raised in mother-led homes; 15 percent expected an egalitarian arrangement.

- Meanwhile, 10 percent of females expected their children to be raised in father-led homes; 25 percent expected them to be raised in mother-led homes; 65 percent expected an egalitarian arrangement.

- Males reported mother-led home lives among their best friends 85 percent of the time and egalitarian arrangements 15 percent of the time.

- Females reported mother-led home lives among their best friends 75 percent of the time and egalitarian arrangements 25 percent of the time.

Photo by adonis hunter's 'stuff'