Of Boys and Men

Hello, I hope all is great on your end!

I spent this past weekend campaigning for Evan McMullin in Utah, which was phenomenal. I met some fantastic people and am even more excited to have Evan in the U.S. Senate! Evan is one of the amazing candidates endorsed by Forward this past week – you can see them here and maybe even go out and support a candidate near you.

This week on the podcast I interview Richard Reeves, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, one of the top public policy thinktanks in the world. Richard recently published an important book, “Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What To Do About It.”

As you may know, I have been passionate about the issues facing boys and men in America for years. It was one of the themes of ‘the War on Normal People’ and the subject of an OpEd I wrote for the Washington Post this year. It’s probably related to the fact that I have two little boys myself, ages 7 and 9 and the fact that I recall my own struggles.

Richard painstakingly catalogues the reality of how boys are falling behind academically. Boys now average one letter grade lower in high school than do girls. Women are now nearly 60% of college students, as well as 60% of master’s degree graduates. Richard pegs slower brain maturation in boys as one of the factors impeding their success in school.

Simultaneously, the job market has turned against men by decimating opportunities in manufacturing, transportation and construction, all of which are predominantly male. In 1979, the weekly earnings of the typical American male who completed his education with a high school diploma was, in today’s dollars, $1,017. Today it is 14% lower at $881. Relatedly, more young men now live with parents than with a significant other.

One surprise – apparently myriad policy responses have had little to no effect in helping boys on either front. “I have discovered a startling number of social programs that seem to work well for girls and women, but not for boys and men . . . this seems to me to be a big deal.” He cites offerings like free college, preschool programs, summer reading, mentoring and other programs that have been applied to both genders that girls benefit from but seem to bounce off of boys. This makes the challenge all the more daunting.

Richard does suggest a number of measures that he believes could make a real difference: holding boys back in school one year (i.e. start kindergarten a year later), recruit male teachers (demonstrated to be helpful), invest in vocational and technical schools, and try to funnel men to HEAL positions (healthcare, education, administrative, literacy). All of these suggestions are borne out by data and should be explored or adopted.

I'm grateful to Richard for making this case. His contributions are particularly valuable given our politics. He notes, “In the current political environment, highlighting the problems of boys and men is seen as a perilous undertaking . . . Progressives refuse to accept that gender inequalities can run in both directions [while] conservatives appear more sensitive . . . but only as a justification for turning back the clock . . . Politics has become like trench warfare, both sides fearing even the slightest loss of any ground. While moms and dads worry about their kids, our leaders are trapped in their partisan positions.”

I believe this is where Forward can help. In a polarized environment, the problems of boys and men become a political football to be argued about, denied, or weaponized rather than a problem to be solved. Our society is not a zero-sum game; helping men helps everyone, just as helping women helps everyone. As Richard writes: “We can hold two thoughts in our head at once. We can be passionate about women’s rights and compassionate toward vulnerable boys and men.” This is the kind of sane policymaking and cultural environment that Forward strives to make possible.

Richard ends his book with this appeal: “My hope is that away from the heat and noise of tribal politics, we can come to a shared recognition that many of our boys and men are in real trouble, not of their own making, and need help.” Let’s do all we can to make this hope a reality.

For my interview of Richard click here, and to volunteer for Forward to fix our politics click here.