‘Boys will end up being boys,’ the word goes — but what does that truly mean? A respected anthropologist investigates

Why do men behave just how they do? Could it be their man brains? Surging testosterone? From vulgar locker-room talk to mansplaining to sexual harassment, society can be too quick to describe male behavior in terms of biology.

In Are Guys Pets?, anthropologist Matthew Gutmann argues that predatory man behavior is in no way inevitable. Men behave just how they actually because culture permits it, not because biology needs it. To prove this, he embarks on a global analysis of masculinity. Exploring everything from the gender-bending politics of American university campuses towards the relationship marketplaces of Shanghai as well as the women-only subway vehicles of Mexico Town, Gutmann shows just how challenging masculinity could be. The result is not only a new method to think about manhood. It’s helpful information to an improved life, for all of us.