Latest news with #OfBoysandMen
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'When Men Don't Have Money, They're Just Less Attractive,' Says Professor Scott Galloway, As Men Without College Degrees Now Earn 22% Less
Men without college degrees are still earning significantly less than they did five decades ago, and the implications stretch far beyond just wages. In the debut episode of the "Lost Boys" podcast, co-host and professor Scott Galloway put it plainly: 'When men don't have money, they're just less attractive. That's more of a hit to them than it is to women.' Galloway shared his own experience of growing up with limited prospects, saying that government programs and education helped change his trajectory. But he worries that today's safety nets are weaker. 'Had I been that kid today, I worry the outcome would have been different,' he said. Don't Miss: Hasbro, MGM, and Skechers trust this AI marketing firm — 'Scrolling To UBI' — Deloitte's #1 fastest-growing software company allows users to earn money on their phones. The 'Lost Boys' podcast—hosted by Galloway and Anthony Scaramucci—dives into the broader struggles of young men, featuring author Richard Reeves. The group argues that young men today are falling behind not just economically but socially, and emotionally. Reeves, who authored the book 'Of Boys and Men,' noted that many young men today are adrift due to the absence of a clear path forward. "We tore up the old script for men, which was breadwinner, head of household, etc., and we didn't replace it with anything," Reeves said. 'And so what that means is a lot of men now feel that they're basically improvising. They basically don't have a script.' The numbers back up their concerns. According to a May 2024 Pew Research Center analysis, young men between the ages of 25 and 34 without college degrees earned a median income of $45,000 in 2023. That's up 15% from 2014, but still 22% lower than what men of the same age earned in 1973 when adjusted for inflation. Trending: Maker of the $60,000 foldable home has 3 factory buildings, 600+ houses built, and big plans to solve housing — 'In the grand scheme of things, young, less educated men aren't where they were 50 years ago,' Pew economist Richard Fry told CBS MoneyWatch. He added that in the 1970s, these men were more likely to be union members and work in manufacturing jobs—industries that have since shrunk. Meanwhile, college graduates continue to outpace their peers in earnings and wealth. Young male college grads today earn around $77,000 annually, while women with degrees make about $65,000. College grads also have an average net worth of $120,000, compared to $31,000 for those with just a high school diploma. 'Higher education generates higher wealth,' Fry said. 'Families with college-educated heads have a higher homeownership rate. And college-educated adults are more likely to have access to 401(k)s and 403(b)s.' Still, Galloway argued that the issue isn't just about education. It's also about identity and purpose. 'You really got to keep an eye on the boy,' he said, referencing how family breakdowns and economic instability can hit young men particularly hard. 'They're actually weaker as humans.'Reeves pointed to the lack of male role models in schools, communities and even homes. 'The teaching profession has become very gendered,' Reeves said. Only 23% of teachers today are men, down from 33% in the 1980s, he noted. Despite some gains in the labor market for young men without degrees, both Pew's data and the 'Lost Boys' podcast underscore a growing concern: without direction, support and economic opportunity, many young men are at risk of falling further behind. Half of Americans agree that college is worth the money only if you don't have to go into debt. According to Pew, just 22% of Americans believe a degree is a good investment if it requires borrowing. That skepticism is strongest among Republicans, six in 10 of whom now believe a college degree is less important than it was 20 years ago. Read Next: Invest where it hurts — and help millions heal:. Deloitte's fastest-growing software company partners with Amazon, Walmart & Target – Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? APPLE (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report TESLA (TSLA): Free Stock Analysis Report This article 'When Men Don't Have Money, They're Just Less Attractive,' Says Professor Scott Galloway, As Men Without College Degrees Now Earn 22% Less originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Perspective: Out of work and on the dole — is Uncle Sam contributing to young men's malaise?
American men are in trouble. From Richard Reeves' "Of Boys and Men" to Nicholas Eberstadt's "Men Without Work," we have learned that men are opting out of our most important institutions — work, education and family — in record numbers. But what or who is to blame for this male malaise? Uncle Sam. This was Allysia Finley's thesis, writing about men's growing disconnect from work in a recent Wall Street Journal article: 'Blame government, which showers benefits on able-bodied people who don't work,' Finley wrote. Finley is certainly right that we have a growing problem when it comes to young men's connection to work. In 1976, just 5% of young men ages 25 to 40 were not in the labor force. That number has more than doubled, rising to 11% in 2024. Over the same period, the share of men in this age range not working full-time rose by 46%, such that now more than 1 in 4 men in this age group are not working full-time. In 2024, 3.8 million men ages 25 to 40 were not in the labor force, and a total of 7.8 million were not working full-time. What's also apparent from these trends is that working-class men have been much more affected by the male flight from work than college educated men. The increase is only up 79% among college educated men, whereas it is up 165% among less-educated men. This is worrisome because such men are more likely to end up poor, unmarried, depressed and prone to succumbing to 'deaths of despair.' But is Finley right to blame the government for this male flight from work? Yes, in part, it would seem. A large minority of young men who are not working, or who are working less than full-time, are collecting food or cash from the government. The 2024 Current Population Survey indicates that 31% of men ages 25-40 who are not working full-time collected some form of cash or cash-equivalent benefit in the form of food stamps, Social Security for disability, Supplemental Security Income, or unemployment insurance in the prior year. Such benefits are particularly common among the nearly 4 million men in this age group who are not in the labor force, of whom 40% had received some cash or cash-equivalent government benefit. This doesn't include other non-cash government supports, like health insurance or reduced rent. We should note that national surveys, such as the Current Population Survey, tend to underreport the share of adults on such programs. To Finley's point, the share of young men receiving one or more of these benefits is likely higher than what the CPS indicates. But, as shown above, these benefits are largely going to those without college degrees. Furthermore, there is a large share of those who did not receive any such benefits and so are clearly not being enticed by Big Government. There is more to this story. So, what besides Uncle Sam is to blame? Our work at the Institute for Family Studies suggests broken families and big business also have a big hand in this male malaise. Regarding family, as Brad Wilcox wrote in his book 'Get Married,' young men are 'more likely to end up idle, to work less, and to earn less money if they came from a non-intact family.' He added, 'In fact, these young men are 36% less likely to hold down a full-time job by the time they hit their mid-twenties.' When it comes to big business, as Wilcox noted in The American Conservative: 'Many of the nation's biggest businesses — from Alphabet (YouTube) to TikTok to Microsoft (Xbox) — are selling products that serve teenage boys and young men one dopamine hit after another. The problem with these products is they make school and work relatively less appealing, inhibiting the ability of many young men to develop the skills, ambition, and work ethic that would enable them to thrive in the twenty-first century economy.' Work done by Princeton economist Mark Aguiar and his colleagues indicates that screentime — from gaming to porn — can account for nearly half of the drop in working hours for men in their twenties from 2004 to 2017. Of course, many parents of teenagers understand this problem starts before men hit their twenties. Throw in the well-documented failures of schools to cultivate the hearts, minds and talents of boys and young men, and what Eberstadt calls a 'normative sea change' that has made it a 'viable option' for 'sturdy men ... to sit on the economic sidelines, living off the toil or bounty of others' and you get a fuller picture of the familial, economic and cultural forces arrayed against our young men. The bottom line is that, yes, government handouts can, and do, sustain the growing male disconnect from work. But the story of young men and unemployment is about much more than the failures of Uncle Sam. There is plenty of blame to go around. Grant Bailey is a research associate at the Institute for Family Studies. Brad Wilcox is Distinguished University Professor and Director of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia and senior nonresident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Perspective: Out of work and on the dole — is Uncle Sam contributing to young men's malaise?
American men are in trouble. From Richard Reeves' "Of Boys and Men" to Nicholas Eberstadt's "Men Without Work," we have learned that men are opting out of our most important institutions — work, education and family — in record numbers. But what or who is to blame for this male malaise? Uncle Sam. This was Allysia Finley's thesis, writing about men's growing disconnect from work in a recent Wall Street Journal article: 'Blame government, which showers benefits on able-bodied people who don't work,' Finley wrote. Finley is certainly right that we have a growing problem when it comes to young men's connection to work. In 1976, just 5% of young men ages 25 to 40 were not in the labor force. That number has more than doubled, rising to 11% in 2024. Over the same period, the share of men in this age range not working full-time rose by 46%, such that now more than 1 in 4 men in this age group are not working full-time. In 2024, 3.8 million men ages 25 to 40 were not in the labor force, and a total of 7.8 million were not working full-time. What's also apparent from these trends is that working-class men have been much more affected by the male flight from work than college educated men. The increase is only up 79% among college educated men, whereas it is up 165% among less-educated men. This is worrisome because such men are more likely to end up poor, unmarried, depressed and prone to succumbing to 'deaths of despair.' But is Finley right to blame the government for this male flight from work? Yes, in part, it would seem. A large minority of young men who are not working, or who are working less than full-time, are collecting food or cash from the government. The 2024 Current Population Survey indicates that 31% of men ages 25-40 who are not working full-time collected some form of cash or cash-equivalent benefit in the form of food stamps, Social Security for disability, Supplemental Security Income, or unemployment insurance in the prior year. Such benefits are particularly common among the nearly 4 million men in this age group who are not in the labor force, of whom 40% had received some cash or cash-equivalent government benefit. This doesn't include other non-cash government supports, like health insurance or reduced rent. We should note that national surveys, such as the Current Population Survey, tend to underreport the share of adults on such programs. To Finley's point, the share of young men receiving one or more of these benefits is likely higher than what the CPS indicates. But, as shown above, these benefits are largely going to those without college degrees. Furthermore, there is a large share of those who did not receive any such benefits and so are clearly not being enticed by Big Government. There is more to this story. So, what besides Uncle Sam is to blame? Our work at the Institute for Family Studies suggests broken families and big business also have a big hand in this male malaise. Regarding family, as Brad Wilcox wrote in his book 'Get Married,' young men are 'more likely to end up idle, to work less, and to earn less money if they came from a non-intact family.' He added, 'In fact, these young men are 36% less likely to hold down a full-time job by the time they hit their mid-twenties.' When it comes to big business, as Wilcox noted in The American Conservative: 'Many of the nation's biggest businesses — from Alphabet (YouTube) to TikTok to Microsoft (Xbox) — are selling products that serve teenage boys and young men one dopamine hit after another. The problem with these products is they make school and work relatively less appealing, inhibiting the ability of many young men to develop the skills, ambition, and work ethic that would enable them to thrive in the twenty-first century economy.' Work done by Princeton economist Mark Aguiar and his colleagues indicates that screentime — from gaming to porn — can account for nearly half of the drop in working hours for men in their twenties from 2004 to 2017. Of course, many parents of teenagers understand this problem starts before men hit their twenties. Throw in the well-documented failures of schools to cultivate the hearts, minds and talents of boys and young men, and what Eberstadt calls a 'normative sea change' that has made it a 'viable option' for 'sturdy men ... to sit on the economic sidelines, living off the toil or bounty of others' and you get a fuller picture of the familial, economic and cultural forces arrayed against our young men. The bottom line is that, yes, government handouts can, and do, sustain the growing male disconnect from work. But the story of young men and unemployment is about much more than the failures of Uncle Sam. There is plenty of blame to go around. Grant Bailey is a research associate at the Institute for Family Studies. Brad Wilcox is Distinguished University Professor and Director of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia and senior nonresident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
Bloomberg
21-04-2025
- General
- Bloomberg
Eight Charts Show Men Are Falling Behind, From Classrooms to Careers
Men falling behind women doesn't begin in college classrooms. According to a Brookings Institution report, the average US boy at age 5 is 16 percentage points less likely to be school-ready than the average girl—a gap that persists over the course of their education. Researcher Richard Reeves presents evidence in his 2022 book, Of Boys and Men, that this disparity can be linked to boys' brains developing more slowly, 'especially during the most critical years of secondary education.' He suggests that a positive reform would be to 'redshirt' the boys. In other words, give them an extra year of pre-K before starting them in school. Despite the growing bias toward girls in the education system, there continues to be a bias toward men in the office.
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
American men are in crisis and they looking up to toxic role models to cope
The fist bump/'Whattup bro' combo greeting with optional peace sign may be old news and a little corny, but out in rural Tennessee, it's just one of many variations in man-speak I use for checking in and seeing how the other brother is doing. Sadly, the men, especially working-class men, are not alright. On health: Men comprise half the population yet account for 79% of suicides (81% in Tennessee), with the male suicide rate spiking 25% in the last decade. Men are more likely than women to use illicit drugs, and they comprise 70% of opioid deaths (71% in Tennessee) and 67% of alcohol-related deaths (70% in Tennessee). On employment: Tennessee ranks in the top 10 states for the worst wage stagnation in the U.S. Add the higher cost of living, and the sons of today cannot hope to provide their families with the housing, healthcare, and education their fathers and grandfathers did. Real wages for women have risen, something to cheer for, yet they've stagnated for men. Working-class men also now comprise a greater share of the unemployed than women, another historic first. On education: When Congress passed Title IX in 1972 to tackle gender inequality in education, men were 13% more likely to earn a bachelor's degree than women. A half-century later, women are 15% more likely to earn a bachelor's degree than men. In Tennessee, just 49.9% of 2023's male high school graduates went to college, compared to 63.6% of female graduates. And of the men who did enroll, they were much more likely to drop out than women. On relationships: Today, only 60% of 35-year-old men are or have been married. It was 90% in 1980, and a shocking one third of Tennessee men are unmarried (29% for women). Men are also losing their friendships at a rate that's difficult to comprehend. Today, 15% of men say they have no close friends, a 500% increase from 3% in 1990. To be clear, the problem isn't that women are doing better (though some poor-faith agitators would have you believe as much). A half-century of mostly upward mobility for women should be celebrated. The problem is that men are doing much, much worse. Who are men turning to for help? The recent election provides some clues. Donald Trump won men, which was expected, but he also won young men aged 18 to 29 by 55%, a stark shift from the 41% of young men who supported him in 2020. Who men are choosing for president is just the tip of the iceberg. Elon Musk, Joe Rogan, Jordan Peterson, Ben Shapiro, Matt Walsh, Andrew Tate, Nick Fuentes, Michael Knowles, Tim Pool, David Rubin, Benny Johnson, and Dana White, the list goes on. Everywhere young men turn for advice, music, news, entertainment, sports, politics, religion, and fitness, the opinion leaders who capture their attention are predominantly right-wing or right-leaning influencers who, at best, offer common sense/individualism-oriented solutions and, at worst, advocate for a return to the pre-Civil Rights era. Richard Reeves, author of the book 'Of Boys and Men' posits that boys and men are more reliant on social and familial institutions than girls and women. (Reeves frequently refers to the Boy Scouts as an example of such an institution, a fitting example, as Boy Scout membership in Tennessee has plummeted 33% since the pandemic). As healthy institutions that created a sense of belonging for men have eroded, males of all ages have either turned towards unhealthy affiliations like those mentioned earlier, or they've isolated. In doing so, they've lost their sense of purpose and ability to nurture each other and themselves. This is a warning sign. Renowned 20th-century anthropologist Margaret Mead once said, 'Every known human society has rested on the learned nurturing behavior of men … This behavior, being learned, is fragile and can disappear rather easily under social conditions that no longer teach it effectively.' If Mead were still alive, she'd observe what I've seen in rural Tennessee, that the sledgehammer of today's capitalist-driven individualism has crushed the social and cultural institutions that once gave men purpose and taught them how to care for themselves and others. Since many of today's male leaders offer nothing but pyramid schemes and patriarchy, it's up to the rest of us to fist-bump the men in our lives, check in with them, find out what they need, and offer them a seat at our table. Our collective future is not a kind one if half the population is left to drag themselves, and the world, to the brink. Ren Brabenec is a Nashville-based freelance writer and journalist. He reports on politics, local issues, environmental stories, foreign policy, and the economy. For questions, comments, or to suggest a story, email hello@ This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Men in America are feeling stressed, unhealthy and isolated | Opinion
