I rarely ask readers to watch a video. However, this is one time when I will beg you—yes, beg—to spend 15 minutes learning about one of America's greatest threats—the downward spiral of boys and men.
Richard Reeves, Senior Fellow at The Brookings Institution and President of the American Institute for Boys and Men, details in the video below how boys and men are falling behind at a precipitous rate in academia, the workforce, and mental health compared to girls and women.
Here are just a few data points Reeve's shares:
➖ Girls make up 2/3 of the Top 10% of a school's class, and boys make up 2/3 of the Bottom 10%.
➖ Boys have few role models in education - males account for only 24% of teachers, and that percentage is declining.
➖ Vocational education has been deemphasized, disproportionately impacting boys' skill development and career opportunities [this started in the early 1980s].
➖ Some of the fastest-growing job sectors are Health, Education, Administration, and Literacy, where men's participation is declining.
➖ Boys and men commit suicide at a rate 3x higher than women, and that number is growing. The most common last words men write before taking their lives are "worthless" and "useless."
➖ The above trends disproportionately impact lower-income boys and men, while the gap between boys and girls is narrower in upper-income households.
Why are these trends a threat to civil society? Men commit:
88% of murders and nonnegligent manslaughter.
62% of all property crimes.
91% of assaults.
The higher the unemployment rate, drug use, and sense of despair that men have, the higher the likelihood that the above threats will increase.
Addressing the issues facing boys and men does NOT mean we stop or slow down women's forward momentum in these areas, which should be encouraged, continually invested in, and celebrated. Said differently, this is not a zero-sum game. We can uplift both cohorts.
Richard Reeves and his organization are determined to address these issues and improve the prospects for men and boys. Please watch the video.
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Michael Benedict published his first book, The Civil Society Playbook: A Commonsense Plan for a Return to Civility, in 2024. His career spans 25+ years in senior-level marketing positions at Fortune 1000 companies, tech startups, and marketing consultancies. His book covers areas of incivility that are not frequently discussed in the media. It offers solutions - actions - that anyone, regardless of age, can implement to improve civility in all aspects of society. He can be reached at michaelbbenedict@gmail.com. The book is available on Amazon, Apple Books, and Audible.
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