Men have no right at all to be shocked by the demands being made of them during the pandemic- they have been legally bound to the responsibility of providing for their families since the start of our country. And yet, they are.

Every single man in this country is by law bound to provide for his wife, children, and elderly parents, to the point of being held legally emancipated if they do not. <br><br>This is the bare minimum legal requirement of men.<br><br>Now, while I understand- well, women who are the single parents of their children are expected to work 40 hours a week and keep a perfect house and three square meals on the table and take care of their elderly parents, so when money gets tight, they're expected to do more, work more, babysit, clean more, and, you know, continue to carry the entire burden of the family on their back. But let's talk about men, since they are the ones the post is about.<br><br>When a man is legally married and/or has a child, he is legally bound to provide for his family. Men cannot, under any circumstances, legally and rightfully neglect their children and spouses. They may do so, of course, but it is illegal for them to do this. The bare minimum legal requirements for men with families is to provide food, shelter, clothing, and basic means to their families. Not only that, but it is also illegal for them to abuse them in any way, in word or deed. <br><br>This is the bare minimum legal requirement for men.<br><br>Work through the weekend to make sure you can put food on the table? This is the bare minimum requirement for men. Spend extra time with your children while also working? This is the bare minimum requirement for men. Babysit the kids when your wife is sick? This is the bare minimum requirement for men. <br><br>We know plenty of women who are full-time mothers to their children, but, by law, men are expected to work 40 hours a week and still be expected to fully participate in the lives of their families, which, you know, women who stay at home also do, but that's besides the point, the point is, when those women go out to work, men are expected to continue the bare minimum requirements of providing for their families, emotionally, physically, and financially.<br><br>We're at a pandemic, and men are expected to contribute- to work, to clean, to babysit, to raise their children and step up. <br><br>Well, apparently, that's too much to ask for, because men are shocked and appalled to be asked to clean their own homes, to take care of their own children, to work with their own wives to get the household done- they are legally bound to these duties and are acting as though they are being jailed for doing the bare minimum. <br><br>This is not the bare minimum, to men. This is a burden they've never had to carry and do not want to carry. It is a burden their mothers and sisters and wives and daughters and daughters-in-law carry every single day of their lives, and they do not want to do it.<br><br>They do not want to be held to the legal standard of manhood.<br><br>They do not want to work and clean and take care of their families and be a part of them. <br><br>They do not want to be good men.<br><br>They are interpreting the social contract as a burden, and are trying to escape from their legal duties as men.<br><br>This is the bare minimum they are legally bound to do and they are rejecting it.