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The rise of feminism has negatively impacted relationships

For a culture or society to exist, everybody within that culture has to accept the values, ideals, and laws of said culture. It seems my opponent believes that a culture or society is held together by an unexplainable magnetic force. NOPE!!! ALL cultures/societies are held together by each individuals acceptance of the ideals of said culture. If people begin to reject the ideals of society, then that society crumbles or is changed, and a new set of ideals are put into place. Without the consent of the people on an individual basis then society wouldn't exist. That last sentence doesn't only pertain to "western" society, it pertains to all societies. Do you know what a social construct is? It's the idea that some things that we believe to be true, may only be true within the context of our society, but may not be true in nature, or politics, or history. Some may consider gender roles to be a social construct. There's no omnipresent force that renders you helpless if you choose to stray from socially accepted gender roles. It is solely and purely your choice to abide by whichever standard you choose. Right about now, you might be thinking, what if you live in Iran? Could a man choose to don a Lularoe dress and walk down the street like he's in a pageant? Not without putting his safety at risk, but that doesn't mean he cannot do it. I am arguing that we are only truly governed by our free will, but that doesn't mean there aren't consequences for our actions. There's no force stopping me from going outside and setting off fireworks at 2am in my thickly settled neighborhood, but my acceptance of the fact that the consequences for that action would not be pleasant, stops me from doing so, not an unseen cosmic force. The most obvious social construction would be society itself. If you think about it, you might come to the conclusion that we all live in anarchy. There's no mechanism that physically stops us from doing or not doing anything, it's only our choice. Societies and cultures are made up of large groups of individuals who've collectively decided to forego some freedom, for the safety of living with the herd. Since we were born into an already existing society, we get the feeling that the rules and ideals of our society are written in some cosmic pillar that keeps the balance of existence in check. NOPE!!!! It is, and always has been a large group of individuals who've collectively accepted the ideals and standards of society. So when you really boil it down, my opponent is saying he accepts the traditional standard for his relationship, and his spouse rejects that standard. I don't get the feeling that the ghost of William F Buckley Jr will haunt you if you give in to her standards. I also don't think you'll have a swarm of unshaven women, burning bras on your front lawn, if she gives in. So no, social influence does not play as big a role as you might think. I think you misinterpreted my sentence about the "shallow generalizations on the difference between men and women". That sentence doesn't say, men and women are the same. Actually it says the opposite. It recognizes their are differences between men and women, but your generalizations (observations) seem shallow. Now, I don't know you, but you seem to be more intelligent than me, and I sort of get the sense that some of what you say is said out of spite, or bitterness, but perhaps you don't believe these things as strongly as you feel you do. I get the feeling that you are purposefully holding back on your sense of depth, for the sake of this debate. My opponent argues that certain branches of feminism encourage women to reject the role of "housewife" and that men and women are the same. First off, it's a bit superfluous for a feminist to encourage women to reject the role of "housewife", because most of western society has already rejected it. Not necessarily for the sake of womans rights, but for economic reasons. As I've argued before, (and it seems my opponent has no desire to address this) most families need the women to get jobs because they need a second source of income. I don't deny there are some extreme fundamental sects within the feminist movement, but do those particular sentiments actually represent the core values of feminism? Do all white people have a poster of David Duke hanging on there wall? Do all black people swear allegiance to the honorable Elijah Muhammad? Are all feminists really man haters? An extreme view made by certain feminists may not be a fair representation of the core values of feminism. It's also worth noting that not all feminists share the same views as other feminists. Some traditional feminists believe pornography is basically just "legal prostitution" so it should be outlawed, but many modern feminists will argue that pornography is a way of showing that woman "own" their sex and body image and there's no need to infringe on artistic rights for the sake of outdated puritan sentiments. It's difficult to make an assessment of where the core values of feminism are, because there are opposing views within the movement itself. Just clumping all feminist sentiment into one extremist category is a tad bit obtuse. I'm sure it can be heartbreaking to know that half of all marriages end in divorce. It's almost as if your a pessimist, your chances are pretty good that your marriage will end in divorce. I guess, on the flip side, if your prone to optimism, it seems you have a better chance of staying married for the remainder of your life. That almost gives me the feeling that your additude toward your relationship is the dominant factor within your relationship. https://www.psychologytoday.com... My opponent seems to have trouble with the concept that the framework of his relationship is based on his, and his spouses attitudes toward there relationship. It's based on how you feel about each other, and any bad or good sentiments you have for each other, are not influenced by feminism! Your relationship is based SOLELY on your feelings for each other. I could argue that "traditionalism" is the decadent factor in your relationship, but that wouldn't hold any water either. ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE!!!!