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The data are clear: The boys are not all right

washingtonpost.com

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Re: The data are clear: The boys are not all right

#3
I think the root cause is that society no longer needs "beta" males. Or rather, men in the middle of the distribution. This here is a symptom of that broad effect in society. Technical leverage, automation, premium on intelligence in the workplace, and technology more broadly are pushing out average men.

Re: The data are clear: The boys are not all right

#5
>>Median wages for men have declined since 1990 in real terms. Roughly one-third of men are either unemployed or out of the workforce.

I wonder how much of this is because more women are joining the workforce. If men are leaving the workforce by their own free will because their wife is working and they are staying home with the kids, both of these facts could be true, but seems like a win in both gender equality terms and allowing men to have the life they want. This seems better then having two working parents.

I don't really like how "out of the workforce" is coupled with unemployed. "out of the workforce" implies they don't have to and don't want to work, as opposed to unemployed

Re: The data are clear: The boys are not all right

#8

Possible unpopular opinion, but my wife and I want just one kid, and would greatly, greatly, prefer a daughter for reasons that include some mentioned in this article. I feel a son would be so much harder to raise in today's world.

I think individual differences are far more important. I have a boy and a girl both, and my son is far, far easier to raise. I do not fear for his future, socially or economically. My daughter, on the other hand, keeps me awake at night worrying.

Re: The data are clear: The boys are not all right

#9

>>Median wages for men have declined since 1990 in real terms. Roughly one-third of men are either unemployed or out of the workforce. I wonder how much of this is because more women are joining the workforce. If men are leaving the workforce by their own free will because their wife is working and they are staying home with the kids, both of these facts could be true, but seems like a win in both gender equality ter…

The effect of womens' labor participation should be easy to suss out. Look at professions where womens' share of employment is still very low in the US (building trades perhaps), and compare it with the rest of the economy.

Re: The data are clear: The boys are not all right

#10

Effect of dwindling & non-existent male role models and more importantly, fathers.

Yep. In all the talk of racial or gender privilege, the most beneficial privilege a person can enjoy is the benefits of a loving, supportive, traditional two-parent household (there is insufficient data on non-traditional two-parent households).

You can see a direct correlation in outcomes when comparing children that emerged from two-parent households over those that emerge from single-parent households. But because that is an uncomfortable and pervasive problem to discuss, almost all social effort is focused on solving less tangible problems.

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