Understanding 'masculinism,' a movement to restore the primacy of men

TERRY GROSS, HOST: This is FRESH AIR. I'm Terry Gross. Repeal the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote, and then let the man of the house vote for the household. If you think that anyone who advocates for that is too fringe to be taken seriously, think again. It's the view of Christian nationalist Douglas Wilson, the pastor who co-founded CREC, the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches. CREC has a network of about 170 churches, including the one Secretary of Defense - or Secretary of War - Pete Hegseth belongs to. Wilson was the guest pastor in February at the Pentagon's recently created monthly Christian prayer service. Hegseth prayed beside him. CREC also has a network of Christian schools, and Hegseth's children attended one of them. Wilson is influential in the growing movement that's sometimes called masculinism, which believes feminism has been emasculating men, men should have more power than women and that a woman's place is at home raising children and following her husband's wishes. My guest, Helen Lewis, writes about masculinism in her Atlantic article titled "The Men Who Want Women To Be Quiet." It's subtitled "A Virulent Form Of Misogyny Has Become The Single Most Important Force Holding Together The American Right." Wilson is one of the people she interviewed for the article. Lewis is a staff writer at The Atlantic with a focus on the intersection of politics, society and digital culture. …