In this last installment dealing directly with Richard Reeves book Of Boys and Men, we will go beyond the first two posts (differing trends for women and men in educational achievement and how biology interacts with education and other contemporary institutions to in part drive cultural trends), and look at trends for men in the labor force, familial roles and with substance use and suicide. Things are not going in the right direction for males, and it is important to turn these trends around as soon as possible.

Labor force and familial roles

• Men's earnings are decreasing. Excluding the top 20% of earners of both genders, men's wages have decreased 14% since 1979 while women's have increased. (p. x) Except for the top 20% of earners, all wage growth since 1979 resulted from increased working hours and earnings of women. (p. 64)

• Male labor force participation has decreased 7% in the past 50 years; that's 9M men in prime working ages 25-54 who are not working. (p. 19) The economic shift away from manufacturing (biologically, on average, male outlooks are about things, activity and applying physical strength) to information (about communications, collaborations, emotional intelligence, data and language, p. x) Free trade is also pushing this trend, with production jobs relocated overseas (p. 22). In addition, industries with predominantly male workers (production, 70%; transportation, 80%; construction, 90%) are those most threatened by automation and AI, while predominantly female occupations (health care, personal services, education) are not as likely to be replaced by AI/automation (p. 21).

• Women as a population have largely achieved economic independence from men. The provider role connected men to families and communities (p. 33), however, men are now much less frequently the family provider. Female breadwinners/heads of household have rapidly increased representation in our society (41%, p. 35, p. x) and three out of 10 wives earn more than their husbands (p. 35).

• Women are achieving more pay and position equity as time passes, contributing to this independence.

  • Women are now 47% of the workforce (p. 29), and 75% of mothers now work.

  • 40% of women earn more than the typical man in 2019, up from 13% in 1979 (p. 24).

  • While women earn 82% of a man's wage, among young adults there is no pay gap. When women lose the time to having/raising children, that is when much of the differential kicks in today (p. 27).

  • The share of female executives increased from 21% to 24% from 2019 to 2020.

  • Women hold half of all management positions (p. 29).

  • However, there is still ground to make up - 1 out of 5 c-suite directors are women, and 41% of the Fortune 500 CEOs are now female (compared to 0 in 1995) when the target should be 50% at a minimum (p. 30). The share of venture capital going to women-led firms is 3% (p. 21).

• Men are less frequently living with their children. One in 5 fathers are not with their kids (p. x). We’ve heard about men not in the labor force and earning less than 40 years ago, so it is not a surprise that they are not meeting that family provider expectation as often, especially when lower earnings are contributing to fewer marriages and more divorces. There's been a 29% decrease in marriages over 30 years (p. 37). Even pregnancies are not leading to marriage as often among low income women (26% 1977 vs 2% 2009, p. 36).

As the push for more cultural equity and fairness continues, the data is showing unforeseen consequences affecting not just males but us all. In the midst of this transition and looking beyond Reeves book, we are seeing many folks losing out on economic opportunity, along with individuals experiencing more isolation and fewer opportunities to immerse in community with others for our mental/emotional health and happiness. We’ve been hearing this for some time, tying these ideas to the growth of populism and hate politics, and the data really supports the message. This isn't just about men, though Reeves shows some insights about the particular ways they are affected.

The Road to Despair

Perhaps because of a loss of productivity, sense of purpose, family roles and place in the community, 75% of the growing number of deaths of despair are male.

• In advanced economies, men are 3 times more likely to take their own life (p. 63). Men are increasingly isolated, without a family to rely on, due to divorce or never marrying. Wifeless men have worse health outcomes, lower rates of employment, and drug-related deaths among never-married men have more than doubled since 2010 (p. 39).

• Kristoff and WuDun tie the sense of dignity and purpose men get from a good job to some protection from substance misuse disorder (p. 62). However, as male roles in the workforce (sources of purpose) decrease and shrink, men now comprise a 70% share of the growing opioid deaths. Is there a pipeline for more cases as male roles in the workforce decrease? About 50% of the men in the workforce in 2016 said they'd taken prescription pain medication the previous day (p. 62). Increased drug use is a key factor in the decrease in male labor force participation (p.64). So, is the despair driving the drug use, or is the drug use driving the despair - or both, in a sad, self-determining cycle?

Males over the past 40-some years faced diminishing prospects in education, career, earnings, family participation, sense of purpose, and perhaps happiness - and an increasing likelihood of drug use and death from drugs or suicide. My brother experienced a diminishing ability to earn his living over that time period, together with increasing isolation and drug use. Considering the emotional impact of work and money in our lives, and that drug use is linked to self-treatment of emotional pain, it seems those two currents are connected.

Reeves’s Recommendations

Reeves concludes his book with some small places to start to reverse these trends, rather than comprehensive solutions. He suggests:

• Start boys in school a year later to more closely link grade-level learning to the timing of their brain development, setting them up for better outcomes in college.

• Get men involved in HEAL professions (Health, Education, Administration and Literacy) which are growing and resilient in the Information Economy.

• Link non-resident fathers to their children's care through policy and institutional supports, to cultivate their sense of purpose and providing for a family.

He also frames these issues as part of the continuing march of feminism - as we continue to strive for women's equality, we need to address the unforeseen consequences to other members of our community.

Overall, Reeves’s book presents data that surprises not just us, but also his research colleagues. Hopefully it will put us all in a better position to take action in smart ways.

_________________

Isolation, loss of a sense of purpose, a thinning of our communities - these affect us all, diminishing hope and happiness. Robert Putnam rang alarms bells at the Millennium in his book Bowling Alone, written prior to the tidal wave of social media and video games. Speaking as someone in their late 50's, part of me hopes that the younger generations are in the process of figuring this out, and perhaps it is for older generations to solve this, but instead support the solutions. What I also know is that we mid-lifers have experienced things that the youngers can't yet envision, and we are also at a time in our lives when our attention naturally turns to these concerns. We need to chip in to help with solutions with our full quiver of experience and energy. It will likely save lives.