It is critical to have a masculine (not merely male) presence in a family, especially for raising boys, but also for raising girls.

Bear in mind, that masculinity is not always, or only associated with men. I have known men who are not at all masculine, and I have known women who are masculine.

I am not just talking about the usefulness of opening jars, moving heavy objects, or bringing in an extra paycheck.

Also, bear in mind that I know masculinity does not always present positively. I am not advocating for a violent presence in the home (whether masculine or feminine.)

Masculinity encompasses a set of qualities that societies need, and if we want boys to grow into men who can fill those societal needs, they need to grow up with a masculine presence in the home. Masculinity is more oriented toward things (and less oriented toward people), danger, protectiveness, and the competition with oneself to seek and endure hardship. Masculine people are the ones who are willing to go into burning buildings and war zones for the good of strangers. Masculine people are the ones who want to do the grueling jobs like crab fishing in the Bering Sea, mining, high steel construction, and dealing with fallen trees and downed power lines after (and during) a storm in order to get the power back on.

There is serious problem for boys, particularly, who grow up without a father in the home: they are far more likely to drop out of school, commit violent crime, go to prison, and reproduce kids they do not help to raise (regardless of paying child support.) There are several plausible hypotheses as to why this is, and none of them seem to hold up singly or universally, but they make sense in aggregate. Here is a smattering as they relate to the more general question.

- 1 - Testosterone is a significant factor in aggression and ambition. Without growing up in close daily connection with examples of how to direct these qualities into productive activities and healthy behavior, boys are more likely to become hazards to society. (Their natural masculinity can become toxic.)

Think about the hazard of one's main models of masculinity coming from rap music and action movies, instead of from watching a man go to work every day, paying bills, and fixing things.

- 2 - Without a healthy masculine influence, boys can bypass masculinity altogether, and never develop the courage and toughness required to do many of the scary, physically demanding and dangerous things society needs men to do.

- 3 - Without a counterbalance to the feminine influence of a mother, some boys never quite grow up. Manhood is dependent on cutting apron strings, and moving into self-reliant independence. The mother's femininity that often coddles children far into adulthood needs to be counterbalanced by a masculine influence that insists the boy not stay in a comfortable home, not snivel and cry about how hard and scary life can be, but instead "suck it up" and go out and "be a man."

- 4 - Without growing up with a daily masculine presence, girls are at an incredible disadvantage when moving into the workplace, dealing with men in the world at large, and selecting and living happily and productively with a mate.

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Masculinity is not going away, despite the efforts of many well-meaning sexists, and despite the radically lowered testosterone levels we are seeing from even a generation ago. We need kids to grow up with masculinity, learn to deal with it in themselves and others, learn to manifest it positively and effectively, and for that matter, learn to enhance it in order to do the many things societies need masculine people to do.

I think its a good balance between the femininity in a family. Most importantly, I think there are characteristics in healthy masculinity that can be a inspiration, role model, and have positive effects in a family. (See link.)

Kanye West said it was. He's black, so libs can't question him for fear of their white privilege leaking out.