What does all this mean for relationships?

© Armand Colin

What role has advertising played in this change? Is the image portrayed by the media a fair representation of the modern man?
We shouldn’t overplay the role of advertising. It only picks up on and speeds up changes that are already in the wind, so to speak. Advertising isn’t what provokes change. There are avderts which feature men doing the ironing or the washing up, and they grab our attention because we see it as a bit different - provocative, even - but it doesn’t correspond to reality in the slightest.

How have relations between men and women changed?  
In relationships, women amways want to go further and they’re very demanding. Men have difficulty keeping up. But women don’t hold all the power, not by any means. Economic and political power is still very much reserved for men. For example, in family mateters it tends to be men who make big decisions as ‘head of the family.’ Female power has to play catch-up and follow male power. But it’s difficult to talk about specific male and female powers: they cross over and mix with each other, and this causes us even more confusion.