Michael Gove wrote an article arguing British men had been subject to a “collective cuckolding” and should learn to embrace male chauvinism in a story headlined ‘The male eunuch’.
Mr Gove’s 2001 piece was published by then Spectator editor Boris Johnson, who gave it front-cover billing under the title: “The male eunuch – what the wimpy British can learn from the chavanism of the French”.
The 33-year-old Mr Gove, who would soon become a Tory MP at the next election, complained that British men were increasingly found doing jobs like “changing nappies”, which he said affected their “dignity and prestige in the eyes of others”.
Women’s charities and opposition figures have urged the pair to apologise and disassociate themselves from the article’s “blatant sexism” and “damaging narrative” – which they say drives violence.
The revelation comes after a week of focus on misogyny in Westminster, with reports 56 MPs including three cabinet ministers are facing sexual misconduct allegations, an investigation into a male MP watching pornography at work, and outrage over sexist political coverage.
In the 2001 piece, along with anillustration that featured a cartoon of a terrified man doing housework and cowering while a women strides off to work, Mr Gove argued:
“It is a fact of human nature that male attractiveness is generally linked to the man’s capacity to provide and the maintenance of his sense of self-worth. The feckless or jobless male makes an unproductive, and unattractive, partner.
He continued: “The male compelled to work in a field which compromises his masculinity, in his own eyes and those of his peers, feels, and is, less of a catch for any woman.
“These are harsh truths, and one might wish we lived in a gentler world. But the effect of men robbed of their masculinity shows up in these divorce statistics.”
Mr Gove argued that government policy should “nurture and support the traditional male breadwinner” and praised the French for having protected the “social, cultural and economic position of the paterfamilias”, or head of the family.
“The French have, like the original indomitable Gaul, Asterix, defied forces others thought overwhelming by recourse to a potent elixir of masculinity and patriotism. They have, to be blunt, drawn strength from their chauvinisme,” he said.
“In France, the protected position of the middle-aged, semi-skilled male worker makes him an attractive partner, worth retaining.
“He is more likely to have a steady income with which to provide for the raising of a family, and he is more likely to be engaged in the type of labour that maintains his dignity and prestige in the eyes of others.
“He is, to be blunt, less likely than his British counterpart to be employed flipping hamburgers, wearing a security guard’s uniform or changing nappies.”
Ruth Davison, CEO of women’s charity Refuge, told The Independent the language in the article “bears all the hallmarks of misogyny from a bygone era that privileges male dominance over women in the family, and society at large”.
“It is widely acknowledged that there are huge parallels between these ideas around the familial patriarch and women’s oppression. And we know that misogyny causes violence against women and girls all over the world,” she continued.
“If members of the government perpetuate damaging narratives and gender stereotypes, how can we trust them to tackle violence against women and girls?
“The government must do better by victims of gender-based violence and disassociate itself from these damaging comments, no matter how long ago they were. Any refusal to do so would just add insult to injury given how recently the government rejected calls from across the sector to add misogyny to our existing hate crime legislation.”
A spokesperson for Mr Gove did not respond to requests for comment by The Independent ahead of publication.
