Every few years, gender lines are redrawn and there is a scramble to redefine what is politically correct. Sometimes, it seems as if every step society takes towards reducing the inequality between the sexes, two steps are taken backwards.

Post-feminism, women were told they could be equal to or better than men; men were told to be less aggressive and more respectful of women’s progress. Suddenly, after it looked like the intensity of the battle was lessening, there is a change of perspective. Now women are told, be careful, don’t go out after dark, don’t be too ambitious or assertive, or men will retaliate. (The women who led the women’s movement also braced themselves and warned other women for the backlash.) Men are told, dump all that shared domestic chore, hands-on parenting, metrosexual nonsense and revert to being retrosexual.