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Men Going Their Own Way (abbreviated MGTOW, pronounced /ˈmɪg.taʊ/), sometimes also called the marriage strike, the marriage boycott, or the sexodus, is a worldwide social phenomenon and community of heterosexual men who uphold a personal philosophy which rejects gynocentrism in favor of a value system of male self-determination and self-preservation, and who consequently choose a lifestyle which avoids legal and romantic entanglements with women, including, at the very least, marriage, cohabitation, and procreation. A participant in MGTOW is called a Man Going His Own Way (abbreviated MGHOW, pronounced /ˈmɪg.haʊ/). In Japan, MGTOW are known as herbivore men or grass-eater men.

As Sunday Times journalist Martin Daubney has pointed out, according to Google Trends, interest in "MGTOW" has grown exponentially since 2009; doubling approximately every 12 months , it has rapidly overtaken both "women's rights" and "men's rights", as well as "radical feminism" in search popularity. It has been estimated that the MGTOW arm of the so-called "manosphere" is not only its largest segment, but also its fastest growing. Renowned family care activist Erin Pizzey has described MGTOW as "very powerful" and "almost epidemic".

Definition
Because it is a decentralised social phenomenon and a community, MGTOW does not have any leaders, spokesmen, by-laws, official publications, official manifesto, or organizational structure, which can make the concept contentious, ambiguous, and difficult to define. The concept of MGTOW is thus primarily defined and refined by the MGTOW community itself, by means of articles, conversations, and debates in self-published books, websites, blogs, web forums, and online videos. Authors that have researched the phenomenon, such as Kay Hymowitz, have recommended examining MGTOW websites, including MGTOW.com, NoMarriage (now defunct), and EternalBachelor, for readers interested in this matter. .

According to MGTOW.com, MGTOW are men who share a specific view, philosophy, or school of thought with regard to modern society, romantic relationships, and women in general. According to this website, while the specific wording may differ among individuals, generally accepted definitions within the MGTOW community include:


 * A man who preserves and protects his self-ownership and personal sovereignty.
 * A man who avoids cultural definitions and preconceptions of what a "man" is.
 * A man who looks to no one for social approval.
 * A man who does not allow anyone to treat him as a disposable utility.
 * A man who lives according to his own best interests, rather than society's expectations.

Basic concepts
One essential tenet of MGTOW is the avoidance of legal entanglements with women, including, at the very least, marriage, cohabitation, and procreation. The percentage of unmarried males in America (and many other countries worldwide) has steadily increased since the early 1970s, such that, as of 2015, 70% of American males between 20 and 34 years old are not married; according to Janice Shaw Crouse, author of the book "Marriage Matters", this may have ominous consequences for the future.

In addition, many MGTOW to varying degrees choose to abandon romantic relationships, casual sexual relationships, female friendships, and/or social contact with women altogether. These phenomena are known as going ghost (or, less commonly, as going monk ). In Japan's herbivore men phenomenon, an extreme form of men going ghost is known as hikikomori.

Being free from the necessity of supporting a wife and familiy, many MGTOW to varying degrees choose to reject the traditionally male gender role of breadwinner, refrain from dangerous or stressful careers, minimize the duration of their workweek, reduce their tax burden, lead a frugal and minimalistic lifestyle, opt for entrepreneurship or freelancing instead of permanent employment, while some even sever their dependence on the grid, expatriate to countries where the cost of living is lower, and/or drop out of education and the workforce altogether. These phenomena are referred to as going Galt, after John Galt, the iconic protagonist of Ayn Rand's novel Atlas Shrugged. In Japan's herbivore men phenomenon, men going Galt are called freeters or NEETs. One study estimated that 37% of the decline in male employment in America since 1979 could be explained by men's retreat from marriage and fatherhood.

The term MGTOW is often used interchangeably with the so-called marriage strike or marriage boycott, which are not entirely coterminous with MGTOW (which is a broader concept), although there is considerable overlap. The marriage strike is a form of protest against the allegedly unfair legal conditions of marriage. Some marriage strikers hope to return to marriage once these laws have been reformed, while many other MGTOW do not wish to return to marriage or women, or change society, but merely wish to be left alone. Such MGTOW have no demands to present, no terms to bargain about, and no compromise to reach, thus engaging in a marriage boycott.

Journalist Milo Yiannopoulos has also coined and popularized the term sexodus (a portmanteau of sex and exodus) as a synonym for MGTOW.

MGTOW can refer to both the social phenomenon, in which case a man can be a participant in MGTOW without even knowing about the term "MGTOW", and to the community of men who discuss the MGTOW philosophy and support each other in their MGTOW lifestyle.

What MGTOW are not
The modern incarnation of MGTOW as a community originated in what is known as the "manosphere" (or "androsphere"), a loose and informal collection of weblogs, web forums, and websites, and online video channels, of men discussing men's issues, many of which are male-only spaces. Many MGTOW prefer to disassociate themselves from the "manosphere", as the latter term is sometimes used as an attempt to conflate several very different ideas:


 * MGTOW are separate and different from the men's rights movement (MRM). Men's rights activists (MRAs) seek to influence or reform society though public protests, conferences, public speaking, publications, lobbying, picketing, petitions, and other organized political and legal activism, whereas MGTOW are not a political movement, and hence MGTOW as such are either unconcerned with influencing larger society, or engage in (private and personal) passive resistance and nonparticipation as a form of protest.


 * The MGTOW philosophy is not synonymous with antifeminism. Indeed, many MGTOW view both progressive feminism and traditional conservative antifeminism as two sides of a single gynocentric spectrum.  Gynocentrism refers to a biological instinct to protect and provide for women and prioritize their well-being, and to a cultural system that  supports this instinct.  Hence, MGTOW also oppose the antifeminist traditional conservatives for the latter's defence of chivalry, traditional gender roles of breadwinner and housewife, and traditional conservative "family values", such as an insistence on monogamy, marriage, and procreation.


 * MGTOW also differ from "pick-up artists (PUAs)" and the "seduction community" which encourage men to dedicate time, money, and effort to pursuing sex and relationships, with an emphasis on increasing one's number of sexual partners, and garnering female approval. While many MGTOW still engage in sexual relationships with women, such MGTOW strive to minimize the time, money, effort, and risks involved in such activities, and exercise great selectivity in their choice of romantic partners.


 * MGTOW also should also not be confused with self-described "involuntary celibates" ("incels"). An "incel" is a man who wishes to have intimate relationships, but considers himself too unattractive to attract a woman, and subsequently resents women for purportedly causing his sexual frustration.  MGTOW consider 'involuntary celibacy' to be an oxymoron: many MGTOW practice voluntary celibacy, other MGTOW have relationships or  partake in casual or transactional sex. An "incel" defines his life by his difficulties in attracting women, essentially analogous to a PUA who defines his life by his abilities to attract women.  A MGHOW  considers both of these worldviews to be worthless, and by definition does not allow female validation to define him or his worth.  Whether or not a MGHOW has sex or not is irrelevant; it is a matter of perspective and perspective alone.


 * Finally, the MGTOW concept is not simply identical with "bachelorhood" in general, one reason being that MGTOW are bachelors who uphold a personal philosophy based on male self-determination, self-preservation, and a opposition to gynocentrism, whereas a bachelor in general may be a bachelor for variety of other reasons (such as a lack of physical attraction to women, as in the case of asexuality or homosexuality).

History of MGTOW
Monks, celibates, and ascetics have been common throughout history—Siddhartha Gautama had a wife and a son that he abandoned at the age of 30 to investigate the world, and even Paul the Apostle recommended against wives and families because he considered them to be an encumbrance—however, MGTOW are not per se a part of any religious tradition, and do not necessarily abstain from sex. The phenomenon of male self-determination goes back centuries under names such as free-man, celibate, bachelor, stag, and freewheeler. In the Victorian era, the term eligible bachelor was used in the context of upper class matchmaking, denoting a young man who was not only unmarried and eligible for marriage, but also considered "eligible" in financial and social terms for the prospective bride under discussion. In the Victorian era, the term "confirmed bachelor" denoted a man who was resolute to remain unmarried. Sometimes these self-determined or ‘MGTOW’ men formed groups, the earliest known being that of the Anti-Bardell Bachelor Band of 1898. The phrase “men going their own way,” or variants such as “going his own way,” or “to go his own sweet way,” in reference to men’s freedoms is hundreds of years old. The "herbivore men" phenomenon was first observed by Maki Fukasawa in an article published on Oct. 13, 2006, and was subsequently discussed in a book by Masahiro Morioka.

The modern incarnation of MGTOW as a community has its origins in what is known as the "manosphere" (or "androsphere"), a loose and informal collection of weblogs, web forums, and websites of men discussing men's issues. The MGTOW phrase made its appearance in the early 2000s in several online men's rights groups. Three of those who conceived the MGTOW community went by the names Zed the Zenpriest, Ragnar Jensen, and Meikyo. Zed noted that many types of men's rights movements, to his dismay, would splinter and fracture, because the men in those movements displayed an incredible amount of stubbornness, in-fighting, and stifling political correctness. Zed coined the term "MGTOW", because he noticed one reason why the men's rights movement was not effective was because “men kept going their own way”.

Ragnar describes the historical establishment of "men going their own way" as taking place in Hickory, North Carolina, in October 2004, in a meeting between Ragnar and Meikyo; Zed was also invited, but was unable to attend due to illness. They concluded that an individual, grassroots strategy, which Zed had previously dubbed "men going their own way", was superior to the men's rights movement and working for men's rights organisations. In an interview, Ragnar describes the moment as follows: You see, all the ideas were floating around on the Internet. We were frustrated that we couldn't get men to build an organization, couldn't get men to come to this damned meeting—everybody was going their own damned way, and the fact that men went their own way, we started to use that phrase and we started to talk about what's important for men… who's going to define their masculinity? Well, they actually have to do that themselves, they have to find out what it is for themselves. So, as you have the responsibility for your own actions, well then it's also your responsibility to define who you are as a man.

In a seminal announcement dated December 1, 2004, Ragnar declared that MGTOW was based on an essay titled Ignoring Women, written by Zed the Zenpriest, as its foundational document. As Zed stated in this document:

Men now must completely destroy marriage. It is too corrupt and too fouled to fix. It is a derelict building which MUST be torn down so that something useful can be built in its place.

We cannot stop the marriage strike. The real "men's movement" is millions of wildcat strikes of one man who has woken up to what bullshit "marriage" as it exists today really is.

No matter how big a dam one builds, a river will always overcome it. We cannot either push, or hold back, the river. It will proceed at its own pace.

We can, however, clear out the snags which naturally hold it back and let natural forces speed up the current.

Women have turned their backs on us when we needed them, now we must turn our backs on them when they need us.

As Ragnar elaborated in his announcement:

Today I believe we need even more activism and together with a few other guys it has resulted in an idea about "MEN GOING THEIR OWN WAY" based on Zenpriest's essay "Ignoring Women". Those other guys will speak for themselves in due time.

The idea is to instill masculinity in men. To make men understand that they don't have to cater to women unless there is a "quid pro quo" situation. Men don't need someone to compete with. They need someone to help them. Men naturally enjoy being with other men in bands or brotherhoods, so they should go ahead and start some men's clubs and enjoy that. Men should also understand that you don't have to live with women, that they can live a fullfilling life without living with women. This doesn't mean without sex, not at all—it might, on the contrary, be with too much sex—depending on your personal preferences.

Ragnar concluded with what he called a "small essay" of his own, which introduced the MGTOW logo, and which advocated "two strategies that come together in one", namely, Much of these ideas were subsequently fleshed out and discussed, occasionally with heated arguments; and men adapted and expounded upon MGTOW as a philosophy and a way of being. The present incarnation and definition of the term "MGTOW" has evolved away from and severed its ties with its murky origins in the men's rights movement, such that today the definition of MGTOW is a strictly nonpolitical philosophy centered around independence or separatism from women, and a rejection of traditional gender roles of masculinity and femininity.
 * 1) Instilling masculinity in men
 * 2) Ignoring and shunning women.

As described by prominent sources
The MGTOW phenomenon has been described in detail in books by prominent authors such as Helen Smith , Kay Hymowitz Philip Zimbardo, and in many mainstream or notable newspapers, websites and other sources, including the Sunday Times , Breitbart News Network  , Vice Magazine , and others.

In an interview, Erin Pizzey, the family care activist internationally famous for having started the first domestic violence shelter in the modern world, described MGTOW and expressed her concern about the effects on women:MGTOW, Men Going Their Own Way, is very powerful in America; it's almost epidemic in Japan. So in a funny way, as the women of the feminist movement turned on men, men ran away. And what's happening now: I move between London and Los Angeles, where my son lives with his family, and what I see is desperate between late thirties and forties women, who are never going to be married, and are never going to have children, because the men aren't there; and what the men will offer, and the only thing they'll offer, is what they call hookup—particularly in America, where a man can see four or five women at the same time and have sex with them all.

Dr. Jeremy Nicholson, M.S.W., Ph.D., for his column "The Attraction Doctor" in Psychology Today, viewed MGTOW sympathetically, calling societal and female expectations on men in relationships a "double bind", which has left many men "wounded" or "frustrated" to the point that have chosen to "opt out" entirely and instead concentrate on making themselves happy in other ways.

In February, 2011, in an article about her published thesis that what she terms "the rise of women" has had a negative influence on men, American author Kay Hymowitz suggested the reader search for terms including "MGTOW (Men Going Their Own Way)" for examples of young men frustrated by women who complain of inequality while demanding preferential treatment.

A detailed account of the MGTOW phenomenon was published by Helen Smith, Ph.D., in her 2013 book "Men On Strike; Why Men are Boycotting Marriage, Fatherhood and the American Dream, and Why It Matters".

The Sunday Times, the largest-selling British national "quality" Sunday newspaper, featured an in-depth 8-page article detailing the MGTOW phenomenon.

Summary
MGTOW believe that legal and romantic entanglements with women fail a cost–benefit analysis and risk–benefit analysis. MGTOW believe it is advisable for men to shun marriage, cohabitation, and procreation, because they believe that the modern legal climate and justice system is hostile and dangerous towards men, and that the prevailing society or culture is gynocentric and misandrist. Many MGTOW also are of the opinion that even if all such alleged legal dangers, moral hazards, and other problems disappeared, modern women and modern society do not provide any positive incentives for men to engage in interactions with women. Many believe that mechanization and automation have substituted for the need for female labor in many (traditionally female) household tasks. Many self-identified MGTOW also feel that that female companionship does not provide sufficient positive incentives to associate with women, and advise men stay away from romantic relationships, because they see such relationships as inherently dangerous and exploitative, or even in some cases from women in general, whom they see as hypergamous and manipulative by nature.

Consequences of divorce
Richard Doyle wrote about the court handling of divorces and child custody processes: Divorce courts are frequently like slaughter-houses, with about as much compassion and talent. They function as collection agencies for lawyer fees, however outrageous, stealing children and extorting money from men in ways blatantly unconstitutional... Men are regarded as mere guests in their own homes, evictable any time at the whims of wives and judges. Men are driven from home and children against their wills; then when unable to stretch paychecks far enough to support two households are termed "runaway fathers." Contrary to all principles of justice, men are thrown into prison for inability to pay alimony and support, however unreasonable or unfair the "obligation."

Some have claimed that family and divorce law discriminate against men and favored their wives. It has been asserted that men are consciously or unconsciously opting out of marriage and engaging in a "marriage strike" as a result of the lack of benefits in marriage and the emotional and financial consequences of divorce, including alimony and child custody and support. MGTOW have argued that divorce and custody laws violate men's individual rights to equal protection.

Criticism of MGTOW
MGTOW are sometimes dismissed as "toxic misogynists" or shamed as "a cult for lonely virgins". MGTOW have also been accused of having Peter Pan Syndrome or commitmentphobia. Critics of MGTOW often state that men need to "man-up" and take on the burdens and responsibilities of having a wife and children.

In an investigative report critical of the men's rights movement, the Southern Poverty Law Center, a group dedicated to battling "hate crimes", painted a negative picture of MGTOW, presenting quotes from MGTOW that included violent metaphors. . It quoted MGTOW as opposing marriage on the grounds that it allows the woman and the state to virtually kidnap a man's children, evict him from his home, steal his money, and enslave him for life on pain of prison. Gwendolyn Leachman writes that this sort of framing "downplays the systemic biases that women face that justify protective divorce and custody laws."

Notes and references
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Men Going Their Own Way (abbreviated MGTOW, pronounced /ˈmɪg.taʊ/), sometimes also called the marriage strike, the marriage boycott, or the sexodus, is a worldwide social phenomenon and community of heterosexual men who uphold a personal philosophy which rejects gynocentrism in favor of a value system of male self-determination and self-preservation, and who consequently choose a lifestyle which avoids legal and romantic entanglements with women, including, at the very least, marriage, cohabitation, and procreation. A participant in MGTOW is called a Man Going His Own Way (abbreviated MGHOW, pronounced /ˈmɪg.haʊ/). The phenomenon is considered to be particularly prevalent in Canada, Australia, America, Britain, Germany, and Japan. In Japan, MGTOW are known as herbivore men or grass-eater men.

As Sunday Times journalist Martin Daubney has pointed out, according to Google Trends, interest in "MGTOW" has grown exponentially since 2009; doubling approximately every 12 months, it has rapidly overtaken both "women's rights" and "men's rights", as well as "radical feminism" in search popularity. It has been estimated that the MGTOW arm of the so-called "manosphere" is not only its largest segment, but also its fastest growing. Renowned family care activist Erin Pizzey has described MGTOW as "very powerful" and "almost epidemic".

Definition
Because it is a decentralised social phenomenon and a community, MGTOW does not have any leaders, spokesmen, by-laws, official publications, official manifesto, or organizational structure, which can make the concept contentious, ambiguous, and difficult to define. The concept of MGTOW is thus primarily defined and refined by the MGTOW community itself, by means of articles, conversations, and debates in self-published books, websites, blogs, web forums, and online videos. Authors that have researched the phenomenon, such as Kay Hymowitz, have recommended examining MGTOW websites, including MGTOW.com and EternalBachelor, for readers interested in this matter.

According to MGTOW.com, MGTOW are men who share a specific view, philosophy, or school of thought with regard to modern society, romantic relationships, and women in general. According to this website, while the specific wording may differ among individuals, generally accepted definitions within the MGTOW community include:


 * A man who preserves and protects his self-ownership and personal sovereignty.
 * A man who avoids cultural definitions and preconceptions of what a "man" is.
 * A man who looks to no one for social approval.
 * A man who does not allow anyone to treat him as a disposable utility.
 * A man who lives according to his own best interests, rather than society's expectations.

Basic concepts
One essential principle of the MGTOW lifestyle is the avoidance of legal entanglements with women, including, at the very least, marriage, cohabitation, and procreation. The percentage of unmarried males in America (and many other countries worldwide) has steadily increased since the early 1970s, such that, as of 2015, 70% of American males between 20 and 34 years old are not married; according to Janice Shaw Crouse, author of the book "Marriage Matters", this may have ominous consequences for the future.

The term MGTOW is often used interchangeably with the so-called marriage strike or marriage boycott, which are not entirely coterminous with MGTOW (which is a broader concept), although there is considerable overlap. The marriage strike is a form of protest against the allegedly unfair legal conditions of marriage and fatherhood. Some marriage strikers hope to return to marriage and fatherhood once these laws have been reformed, while many other MGTOW do not wish to return to marriage, or change society, but merely wish to be left alone. Such MGTOW have no demands to present, no terms to bargain about, and no compromise to reach, thus engaging in a marriage boycott.

In addition, many MGTOW to varying degrees choose to abandon romantic relationships, casual sexual relationships, female friendships, and/or social contact with women altogether. These phenomena are known as going ghost (or, less commonly, as going monk ). In Japan's herbivore men phenomenon, an extreme form of men going ghost is known as hikikomori.

Being free from the necessity of supporting a wife and family, many MGTOW to varying degrees choose to reject the traditionally male gender role of breadwinner, refrain from dangerous or stressful careers, minimize the duration of their workweek, reduce their tax burden, lead a frugal and minimalistic lifestyle, opt for entrepreneurship or freelancing instead of permanent employment, while some even sever their dependence on the grid, expatriate to countries where the cost of living is lower, and/or drop out of education and the workforce altogether. These phenomena are referred to as going Galt, after John Galt, the iconic protagonist of Ayn Rand's novel Atlas Shrugged. In Japan's herbivore men phenomenon, men going Galt are called freeters or NEETs. One study estimated that 37% of the decline in male employment in America since 1979 could be explained by men's retreat from marriage and fatherhood.

Journalist Milo Yiannopoulos has also coined and popularized the term sexodus (a portmanteau of sex and exodus) as a synonym for MGTOW.

MGTOW can refer to both the social phenomenon, in which case a man can be a participant in MGTOW without even knowing about the term "MGTOW", and to the community of men who discuss the MGTOW philosophy and support each other in their MGTOW lifestyle.

What MGTOW are not
The modern incarnation of MGTOW as a community originated in what is known as the "manosphere" (or "androsphere"), a loose and informal collection of weblogs, web forums, and websites, and online video channels, of men discussing men's issues, many of which are male-only spaces. Many MGTOW prefer to disassociate themselves from the "manosphere", as the latter term is sometimes used as an attempt to conflate several very different ideas:


 * MGTOW are separate and different from the men's rights movement (MRM). Men's rights activists (MRAs) seek to influence or reform society though public protests, conferences, public speaking, publications, lobbying, picketing, petitions, and other organized political and legal activism, whereas MGTOW are not a political movement, and hence MGTOW as such are either unconcerned with influencing larger society, or engage in (private and personal) passive resistance and nonparticipation as a form of protest.
 * While MGTOW are highly critical of feminism, the MGTOW philosophy is not restricted to or synonymous with antifeminism. Indeed, many MGTOW view both progressive feminism and traditional conservative antifeminism as two sides of a single gynocentric spectrum.  Traditional conservatives antifeminists defend several gynocentric notions such as  chivalry, traditional gender roles of breadwinner and housewife, and traditional "family values", such as an insistence on monogamy, marriage, and procreation.  Traditional conservative antifeminists have therefore criticized MGTOW for walking away from these ideals  ; MGTOW have in their turn criticized traditional conservative antifeminists for what they see as taking advantage of the benefits feminism provided for women while remaining passive and silent about feminism's negative consequences for men.
 * MGTOW also differ from "pick-up artists (PUAs)" and the "seduction community" which encourage men to dedicate time, money, and effort to pursuing sex and relationships, with an emphasis on increasing one's number of sexual partners, and garnering female approval. While many MGTOW still engage in sexual relationships with women, such MGTOW strive to minimize the time, money, effort, and risks involved in such activities, and exercise great selectivity in their choice of romantic partners.
 * MGTOW also should also not be confused with self-described "involuntary celibates" ("incels"). An "incel" is a man who wishes to have intimate relationships, but considers himself too unattractive to attract a woman, and subsequently resents women for purportedly causing his sexual frustration.  From the perspective of the MGTOW philosophy, "involuntary celibacy" is an oxymoron, because MGTOW practice voluntary celibacy or have relationships or partake in casual or transactional sex.
 * Finally, the MGTOW concept is not simply identical with "bachelorhood" in general, one reason being that MGTOW are bachelors who uphold a personal philosophy based on male self-determination, self-preservation, and an opposition to gynocentrism, whereas there exist a variety of reasons why a bachelor in general might be a bachelor (such as a lack of physical attraction to women, as in the case of asexuality or homosexuality).

History of MGTOW
Monks, celibates, and ascetics have been common throughout history—Siddhartha Gautama had a wife and a son that he abandoned at the age of 30 to investigate the world, and even Paul the Apostle recommended against wives and families because he considered them to be an encumbrance—however, MGTOW are not per se a part of any religious tradition, and do not necessarily abstain from sex. The phenomenon of male self-determination goes back centuries under names such as free-man, celibate, bachelor, stag, and freewheeler. In the Victorian era, the term eligible bachelor was used in the context of upper class matchmaking, denoting a young man who was not only unmarried and eligible for marriage, but also considered "eligible" in financial and social terms for the prospective bride under discussion. In the Victorian era, the term "confirmed bachelor" denoted a man who was resolute to remain unmarried. Sometimes these self-determined or ‘MGTOW’ men formed groups, the earliest known being that of the Anti-Bardell Bachelor Band of 1898. The phrase "men going their own way," or variants such as "going his own way," or "to go his own sweet way," in reference to men’s freedoms is hundreds of years old. The "herbivore men" phenomenon was first observed by Maki Fukasawa in an article published on Oct. 13, 2006, and was subsequently discussed in a book by Masahiro Morioka.

The modern incarnation of MGTOW as a community has its origins in what is known as the "manosphere" (or "androsphere"), a loose and informal collection of weblogs, web forums, and websites of men discussing men's issues. The MGTOW phrase made its appearance in 2004 in several online men's rights groups. Three of those who conceived the MGTOW community went by the names Zed the Zenpriest, Ragnar Jensen, and Meikyo. Zed noted that many types of men's rights movements, to his dismay, would splinter and fracture, because the men in those movements displayed an incredible amount of stubbornness, in-fighting, and stifling political correctness. Zed coined the term "MGTOW", because he noticed one reason why the men's rights movement was not effective was because men kept going their own way.

Ragnar describes the historical establishment of "men going their own way" as taking place in Hickory, North Carolina, in October 2004, in a meeting between Ragnar and Meikyo; Zed was also invited, but was unable to attend due to illness. They concluded that an individual, grassroots strategy, which Zed had previously dubbed "men going their own way", was superior to the men's rights movement and working for men's rights organisations. In an interview, Ragnar described this particular moment. He lamented that he and other men were frustrated that they could not get men to build a proper men's rights organisation, could not get men to come to meetings, and so on, because "everyone was going their own damned way". He explained that because of the fact that every man went their own way, they started using that phrase, and started to reconsider their priorities, and started thinking about who defines a man's masculinity. He stated that men have have to find out what masculinity is for themselves: according to him, because men have the responsibility for their own actions, it is also their responsibility to define who they are as a man.

In a seminal announcement dated December 1, 2004, Ragnar introduced the phrase "Men Going Their Own Way" to the public, and declared that the concept was based on an essay titled Ignoring Women, written by Zed, as its foundational document. As this document stated:

As Ragnar explained in his announcement, conversations with several other men based on this document had lead to an idea called "Men Going Their Own Way". He stated that a main thrust of this idea was to instill masculinity in men, by which he meant teaching men that they are not obligated to cater to women's wants and needs, unless there is a "quid pro quo" situation. He also stated that the idea of MGTOW was supposed to encourage men to live their lives without cohabiting with or interacting with women: he noted, for example, that men enjoy spending time without women in bands and brotherhoods, and he encouraged men to start "men's clubs" for their personal enjoyment. He also stated that one core idea of "men going their own way" was to teach men that they should not cohabit with women, and that they can have a fulfilling live without even interacting with women. He explained, however, that a MGTOW lifestyle does not require abstaining from sex—but that it may, on the contrary, involve as little or as much sex as desired, according to each individual MGHOW's personal preferences. Ragnar concluded with what he called a "small essay" of his own, which introduced the MGTOW logo, and which advocated "two strategies that come together in one", namely, # Instilling masculinity in men [and]
 * 1) Ignoring and shunning women  The present incarnation and definition of the term "MGTOW" has evolved away from and severed its ties with its murky origins in the men's rights movement, as much of these ideas were subsequently fleshed out and discussed, occasionally with heated arguments; and men adapted and expounded upon MGTOW as a philosophy and a way of being.

As described by prominent sources
The MGTOW phenomenon has been described in detail in books by prominent authors such as Helen Smith, Kay Hymowitz Philip Zimbardo, and in many mainstream or notable newspapers, websites and other sources, including the Sunday Times, Breitbart News Network,  Vice Magazine, and others.

In an interview, Erin Pizzey, the family care activist internationally famous for having started the first domestic violence shelter in the modern world, described MGTOW and expressed her concern about the effects on women:MGTOW, Men Going Their Own Way, is very powerful in America; it's almost epidemic in Japan. So in a funny way, as the women of the feminist movement turned on men, men ran away. And what's happening now: I move between London and Los Angeles, where my son lives with his family, and what I see is desperate between late thirties and forties women, who are never going to be married, and are never going to have children, because the men aren't there; and what the men will offer, and the only thing they'll offer, is what they call hookup—particularly in America, where a man can see four or five women at the same time and have sex with them all.

Dr. Jeremy Nicholson, M.S.W., Ph.D., for his column "The Attraction Doctor" in Psychology Today, viewed MGTOW sympathetically, calling societal and female expectations on men in relationships a "double bind", which has left many men "wounded" or "frustrated" to the point that have chosen to "opt out" entirely and instead concentrate on making themselves happy in other ways.

In February, 2011, in an article about her published thesis that what she terms "the rise of women" has had a negative influence on men, American author Kay Hymowitz suggested the reader search for terms including "MGTOW (Men Going Their Own Way)" for examples of young men frustrated by women who complain of inequality while demanding preferential treatment.

A detailed account of the MGTOW phenomenon was published by Helen Smith, Ph.D., in her 2013 book "Men On Strike; Why Men are Boycotting Marriage, Fatherhood and the American Dream, and Why It Matters".

The Sunday Times, the largest-selling British national "quality" Sunday newspaper, featured an in-depth 8-page article detailing the MGTOW phenomenon.

Summary
MGTOW believe that legal and romantic entanglements with women fail a cost–benefit analysis and risk–benefit analysis. MGTOW believe it is beneficial for them to shun marriage, cohabitation, and procreation, because they believe that the modern legal climate and justice system is hostile and dangerous towards men, and that the prevailing society or culture is gynocentric and misandrist. Many MGTOW also are of the opinion that even if all such alleged legal dangers, moral hazards, and other problems disappeared, modern women and modern society do not provide any positive incentives for men to engage in interactions with women. Many believe that mechanization and automation have substituted for the need for female labor in many (traditionally female) household tasks. Many self-identified MGTOW also feel that that female companionship does not provide sufficient positive incentives to associate with women, and advise men stay away from romantic relationships, because they see such relationships as inherently dangerous and exploitative, or even in some cases from women in general, whom they see as hypergamous and manipulative by nature.

Consequences of divorce
Richard Doyle wrote about the court handling of divorces and child custody processes: Divorce courts are frequently like slaughter-houses, with about as much compassion and talent. They function as collection agencies for lawyer fees, however outrageous, stealing children and extorting money from men in ways blatantly unconstitutional... Men are regarded as mere guests in their own homes, evictable any time at the whims of wives and judges. Men are driven from home and children against their wills; then when unable to stretch paychecks far enough to support two households are termed "runaway fathers." Contrary to all principles of justice, men are thrown into prison for inability to pay alimony and support, however unreasonable or unfair the "obligation."

Some have claimed that family and divorce law discriminate against men and favored their wives. It has been asserted that men are consciously or unconsciously opting out of marriage and engaging in a "marriage strike" as a result of the lack of benefits in marriage and the emotional and financial consequences of divorce, including alimony and child custody and support. MGTOW have argued that divorce and custody laws violate men's individual rights to equal protection.

Criticism of MGTOW
MGTOW are sometimes dismissed as "toxic misogynists" or shamed as "a cult for lonely virgins". MGTOW have also been accused of having Peter Pan Syndrome or commitmentphobia.

In an investigative report critical of the men's rights movement, the Southern Poverty Law Center, a group dedicated to battling "hate crimes", painted a negative picture of MGTOW, presenting quotes from MGTOW that included violent metaphors. It quoted MGTOW as opposing marriage on the grounds that it supposedly allows the woman and the state to virtually kidnap a man's children, evict him from his home, steal his money, and enslave him for life on pain of prison. Gwendolyn Leachman writes that this sort of framing "downplays the systemic biases that women face that justify protective divorce and custody laws."