Young Men: Overlooked & Over Blamed

Just about a year ago I published an edition of this newsletter titled Boys and Young Men Need Our Attention and Help; you can read it here. In it, I reflected upon the fact that in developed, Western societies we already have access to quite worrying evidence of boys and young men falling behind; particularly among low-income families: In the US, for instance, men account for 3 out of 4 deaths of despair. In the European Union, every year more boys than girls drop out of mandatory education. Less than a month after Trump’s victory in the US presidential election, it is becoming clear that Trump’s victory was made possible, among other factors, by a group of voters who have traditionally had quite low voter turnout: young men.?

Progressively, I have seen enough evidence and heard convincing enough arguments to believe we ought to pay a lot more attention to boys and young men, their struggles and their wellbeing. They must become a public policy priority to ensure both their wellbeing and guarantee that their educational outcomes improve both fast and permanently. If we don’t, they will continue to suffer in greater numbers, and they will express their anger and despair in ways that eventually are harmful to them and everyone else. The following are 3 articles and 2 podcasts I highly recommend to deep dive into the worldview of young men, their struggles, and the multi-faceted reasons why they are falling behind:

1. Many Gen Z Men Feel Left Behind. Some See Trump as an Answer. The New York Times; article by Claire Cain Miller published on August 21th, 2024. Excerpt: Men under 30 are much more likely to support Donald Trump than women their age. It’s a far bigger gender gap than in older generations.?
2. Young women are starting to leave men behind. The Financial Times; article by John Burn-Murdoch published on September 20th, 2024. Excerpt: Men’s education deficit is increasingly becoming an employment, earnings and outcomes gap, with significant repercussions.
3. The Problems of Boys and Men In Today’s America. Econtalk - Conversations for the Curious; podcast published on September 2nd, 2024. Excerpt: Many boys and men in America are doing worse than girls and women in education while struggling with a culture that struggles to define what masculinity is in the 21st century. Is this a problem? Richard Reeves thinks so which is why he started the American Institute for Boys and Men. Listen as Reeves discusses the state of boys and men and what might be done about it with EconTalk's Russ Roberts.
4. They Used to Be Ahead in the American Economy; Now They Have Fallen Behind. The New York Times; article by Emily Badger, Robert Gebeloff and Aatish Bhatia published on October 26th, 2024. Excerpt: One economic question that really matters in an election year: Are others doing better than you? To many Americans, whether you are prospering or not is often measured by whether you have a job and how much it pays. But there’s something harder to quantify that’s missing from that picture.
5. Why Men Are Leaving the Left. Jon Stewart’s The Weekly Show; podcast episode published on November 21st, 2024. Excerpt: In the weeks following the election, Democrats are confronting uncomfortable questions as to why much of the electorate—particularly men—abandoned the Left. Jon Stewart is joined by Richard Reeves, President of the American Institute for Boys and Men, and Annie Lowrey, staff writer at The Atlantic. Together, they examine how the party might speak to both modern men and women, and bridge the gap between aspirational rhetoric and practical achievements.?

Have you read or listened to other articles and podcasts about this topic? What is your perspective on the matter? Please leave a comment so we can learn from each other and make progress on such an important issue.