In college, I read a book that was loaned to me by the chairperson of the religious studies department. It was called, Wildmen, Warriors and Kings: Masculine Spirituality and the Bible. It was an interesting read discussing why male participation in the church lessened over the centuries. My professor agreed with most of Patrick Arnold's perspectives. She wanted me to read it to answer a question I had asked in her class, the Church Today, about how Christianity sprung from Judaism and the temple being dominated by men concerned with the spiritual journey of those around them to the "church ladies" who became so dominant as an unofficial religious police organization that Saturday Night Live created the church lady skit.
In America, the relationship between men and women and gender roles have certainly changed a lot since WW II and the civil rights movements in the 1960's. In our history as a nation, we've tamed the wilderness, nearly eradicated the tribal societies who once farmed and hunted on lands now overrun with strip malls and McMansions, and we have made many tasks far easier thanks to innovation and technological advancement. As the role of men has changed in society, I'm curious as to whether these changes have made one gender happier than another, or if the perception is that modern advances in roles and work allow for equality of adaptation and equality of happiness.