Feminism and fixing men

Article here. Excerpt:

'It’s a dating adage that “you can’t fix a man.” I’m not so sure why this is never applied to larger social concerns. The simple truth is men do not want to be fixed. Enlightened? Possibly. Transformed? Perhaps. But fixed? No. Think of an intelligent, attractive, and successful woman who takes on a far less intelligent, attractive and successful man as a project: “How can I get him to dress better or speak better or consider my needs better?” (and so on). This is part-stereotype for the purpose of emphasis and part-sordid reality.

I bring this up not to talk about dating pitfalls but to talk about men’s anti-violence, pro-feminist initiatives, such as MenEngage. My concern is that these initiatives, while noble, resemble the approach of a woman seeking to mold the perfect man out of a deeply flawed suspect-man. In other words, he is viewed with suspicion until he does xyzfor nweeks. This is not only condescending toward the man in question but also runs counter to a characteristic approach to empowerment.

For example, a women’s empowerment approach tends to focus on what a woman needs for herself in order to be stronger, happier, and more confident and not what she can do to better please or empower a man or men in general. If the latter approach were taken, feminists would surely condemn it — calling it oppressive and patriarchal.'