Masculinity: Why modern men are struggling
“Boys and men are struggling”—in the classroom, in the workplace, and in their emotional lives, said David Brooks in The New York Times. In a world where many jobs no longer require physical strength and the word “toxic” often precedes “masculinity,” women are doing better than men in nearly every aspect of life. The gap starts early: At age 5, girls are 14 percentage points more likely to be “school ready” than boys, and women make up nearly 60 percent of students on college campuses. One-third of the 10 million men with only a high school diploma are out of the workforce because globalization and automation have eliminated manufacturing jobs. Women’s earnings account for nearly all of the income gains of middle-class families in the past 50 years. Demoralized, disconnected, and lonely, men are far more prone to substance abuse and suicide. “The culture is still searching for a modern masculine ideal.”
That search is taking us to some strange places, said David French in The Dispatch. The Left now labels traditional male characteristics such as competitiveness, aggression, and risk-taking as backward and dangerous, while the Right has become obsessed with an exaggerated
“manliness” characterized by anger, muscle, and menace. In between these extremes, boys and men can still find “a sense of virtuous purpose” in the roles that most matter—as good husbands, loving fathers, and supportive friends. Work can still be important, but it’s in filling these fundamental roles “with integrity” that men can best find meaning and value.
Still, the big question is “how to be a man in the first era in history that believes in gender equality,” said Simon Kuper in the Financial Times.
As author Richard Reeves points out in his new book, Of Boys and Men, a small, privileged male elite with lucrative jobs remains “dominant,” while most men are failing to overcome class barriers, compete with their female counterparts, and carve out productive, satisfying roles in society. These valid concerns need not be at odds with feminism, said Michelle Goldberg in The New York Times. Everyone should be worried about the state of America’s men—“their growing resentment is fueling right-wing populist movements around the world.” We can “believe that sexism remains a major impediment to women’s flourishing and also believe that for many boys and men, life is much harder than it should be.”