It is a scathing indictment of masculinity, but rather than take the hint about how masculinity as currently constructed in this country is problematic and driving women to single hood, guys like you whine that what you think you're entitled to isn't forthcoming - which is interestingly, a part of the problem.
And yes, it does need to be said, because you have made it clear you are looking for characters to play their part in your social narrative. You even said, "I put in gargantuan effort to make that happen" which speaks less to wanting a soulmate and more to a desire to have somebody (anybody) to fill that role in your life, someone who will give you the obligatory children, so you can pass on your legacy. Love is implied, but as an attribute those characters have in your imagined scenario. That's not actually about love, that's not about wanting the joys that children can bring, despite the work. It's checking a box on a list that you've decided is important in a kind of impersonal way.
In other words, the comfort and sense of accomplishment that some men get from adhering to these parameters about what it means to be a real man are offset by the ways that it harms both them and society at large. Parents and friends may offer praise and the men themselves may feel that they have succeeded in doing what is expected of them, but it tends to lead to emotional isolation, loneliness, and often to violence. When men are not allowed to be who they truly are, full human beings capable of the same range of emotions and social connection needs as women and all people, it is harmful to them and our culture is selling them short in doing so.
If men are so interested in being fathers and husbands, they might want to stop acting in outdated, entitled ways that discourage anyone from wanting to embark on that with them.
Married women, even those without children, do the bulk of the housework even when they work outside the home. In fact, the more a woman earns, the higher the percentage of chores she will typically perform. “The more economically dependent men are on their wives, the less housework they do. Even women with unemployed husbands spend considerably more time on household chores than their spouses.” It’s a not-so-subtle way of asserting, “But, I’m still the man!”
MEL Magazine coined the term, mandholding to describe this phenomenon, the expectation that women are just naturally good at and therefore should be responsible for making life run smoothly. “Free, invisible work women do to keep track of the little things in life that, taken together, amount to the big things in life: the glue that holds households, and by extension, proper society, together.”
You'd think this would be obvious but stamping one's feet and complaining it's unfair that women now have the economic and social power to not have to put up with poor treatment from men is not exactly an effective tactic. Instead of rising to the occasion and embracing the sort of partnerships and equality most women are looking for, too many men are doubling down on wanting the past back. Yeah, that's not gonna happen, and it's pretty lame to see how great the demand for that truly is. I'm not (necessarily) saying this is your attitude, but it is the most prevalent one out there for young men. They are their own worst enemy and then blame women for not putting up with their bullshit. Not a very savvy tactic, I have to say, and the results of it speak for themselves.
