Harvard Magazine has a new in-depth article about men and boys falling behind while women surge ahead. Here are some key takeaways since it is a long article:
Why Men Are Falling Behind in Education, Employment, and Health | Harvard Magazine
That gender disparity starts before college—and has consequences long after. By many metrics, American girls outperform boys in primary and secondary school, graduating at higher rates and with better grades. Since 1979, most men’s real wages have fallen, while most women’s have risen, and an increasing share of “prime-age men”—those between ages 25 and 54—has given up looking for work. Men die “deaths of despair” from suicide, drugs, or alcohol at nearly three times the rate of women. And often, those hit hardest by these trends are working-class, men of color, or both.
EMPLOYMENT RATE FOR PRIME-AGE MEN
- Boys do worse in structured learning than girls
- Boys are highly sensitive to family and community make up while girls outcomes are more stable
- Prime working age men employment has fallen steady since 1950s as the country has moved to service industry growth and college required jobs: both areas men are doing poorly
- College educated women are marrying most of the college educated men leaving the non-college women with far less stable economic partners and their marriage rates have plummeted while college women have remained steady
- Stereotypes about jobs and masculinity is limiting men as women move into more traditional male STEM roles there has not been an increase in people focused jobs for men called HEAL (healthcare, education, admin, literacy)
- Article suggests restructure school for boys to more hands on learning and in depth training on how to learn "Listening with Curiosity".
Why Men Are Falling Behind in Education, Employment, and Health | Harvard Magazine
That gender disparity starts before college—and has consequences long after. By many metrics, American girls outperform boys in primary and secondary school, graduating at higher rates and with better grades. Since 1979, most men’s real wages have fallen, while most women’s have risen, and an increasing share of “prime-age men”—those between ages 25 and 54—has given up looking for work. Men die “deaths of despair” from suicide, drugs, or alcohol at nearly three times the rate of women. And often, those hit hardest by these trends are working-class, men of color, or both.
EMPLOYMENT RATE FOR PRIME-AGE MEN