Fox News’ Jesse Watters thinks only women can do desk work, apparently

A recent Fox News segment caused a lot of disagreement after host Jesse Watters suggested that desk jobs make men less masculine. This is not the first time he went off about manhood, the American job market, and how tariffs might affect the manliness of things.

As found by Buzzfeed, the debate began when a guest argued that President Trump’s tariffs would fix what they called a “crisis in masculinity” by bringing back factory jobs that involve physical work. Watters, who often shares strong opinions about masculinity, agreed with this idea and took it further, claiming that sitting at a desk for work makes men more feminine. He said some studies backed this up, but he didn’t name them, which led fellow panelist Jeanine Pirro to push back right away.

Pirro pointed out Watters’ hypocritical statement, especially since she also works at a desk. Their back-and-forth showed how ridiculous it is to connect where someone works—like at a desk—to whether they’re masculine or feminine. Watters didn’t stop there, though. He went on to share more of his views about what makes a man masculine, criticizing everyday things like shopping for groceries with your partner or even eating ice cream in public.

Jesse Watters thinks working a desk job makes you a woman

Watters’ comments upset more people, making it seem like he had a strict, old-fashioned, and maybe even outdated idea of how men should act. The segment got a lot of negative reactions online. Some critics said it sounded like he was projecting his own insecurities onto people with less physically demanding jobs. Others doubted his claim that studies prove desk jobs make men feminine, especially since he didn’t provide any evidence.

“When you sit behind a screen all day, it makes you a woman,” Watters said. “Studies have shown this!”

The bigger discussion on Fox News tied the so-called “crisis in masculinity” to the decline of factory jobs, saying that tariffs would fix it by bringing back manual labor, per IrishStar. The assumption was that tough, hands-on jobs are naturally masculine, while desk jobs and office work are naturally feminine. This perspective ignores the fact that both men and women work in all kinds of jobs, and it pushes old stereotypes about gender roles.

I work a desk job, but the statement is so ridiculous that it really shouldn’t be taken seriously. I started my career doing manual labor and worked as a Correctional Officer to pay for college. I often have to use an eyepatch due to my time working in law enforcement. Even if I was privileged enough not to work so hard before getting to my position, I don’t think it would matter.

The idea that bringing back factory jobs would solve a masculinity crisis also misses some important economic realities. While some people might want those jobs back, it’s no longer necessary thanks to automation, and if you’ve ever worked at a factory, you know it’s not like it was in the 1920s. It shows Watters has never worked there either because a lot of that work is now repetitive tasks and not extremely physically demanding labor.

Some might prefer today’s knowledge-based jobs, which can pay better and be more satisfying. It also doesn’t consider that shifting back to manufacturing could hurt other parts of the economy. Either way, no part of Watters’ statements should be taken seriously, and you shouldn’t rely on others to tell you that you’re manly or worth taking seriously.