In the United States, the half the sky that is struggling, in school at least, is disproportionately male. I welcome reader comments on this problem and how to address it.

It seems obvious that males in Western nations are taught from infancy that competing with girls is bad and wrong, especially competing unfairly. Since to the loser, any competition can appear unfair, boys learn very quickly not to compete at all, or their mothers, any sister, and sometimes even their fathers, will strongly disapprove of them. Since most boys want their mothers to like them, boys learn very quickly to never compete with any girl. By the time they are 12, most males know that there is no sense or benefit in trying to do well in any field, since doing well is always competing with females. By the age of 12, any male can see he will competing with females for the rest of his life, therefore there is nothing to be gained in trying to be good at anything. Since males are taught by their mothers and any sister that competing with females is always unfair, and if he does try and compete with a female he will always lose socially, a male has no recourse or escape but to drop out of competition, into apathy and rejection. Not to pound on the obvious, but it is impossible to understand how anyone could not understand something so plain and easy to see.

All true in a state of nature. Even Lilith knew we are not in a state of nature.

Men are a great deal of fun for a susceptible woman. They are also necessary to the production of more women. When everyone was thoroughly satiated a man managed to ask for a little mercy so the next encounter could be better.

Over the generations and centuries this small mercy was played into a real advantage. All men know women control relations. Men have some power and have used it to build and maintain the present state of things we see around us. We know that it is unstable and ultimately fugitive. Men like it better than the natural condition. Women can get back to the natural state from this one but something other than natural might please everyone more.

A classical example:

Lysistrata (Attic Greek: Λυσιστράτη, "Army-disbander") is one of the few surviving plays written by the master of Old Comedy, Aristophanes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lysistrata