How American Boys and Men Are Falling Behind – and What We Can Do to Help Them

Top of Mind with Julie Rose

In the US, women and girls now outperform men and boys at every level of education. Boys are less likely to graduate from high school, enroll in college or finish college. Men are more likely to die by suicide, and they aren't participating in the labor market as much as they used to either. In the last forty years, American society has made concerted efforts to boost opportunities for women and girls. That job is not finished, so when we talk about gender inequality in America, it makes sense that the conversations tend to be about women. But American boys and men are falling behind. Have we accidentally overlooked their struggles? Today on Top of Mind, we're looking at a few of the issues facing modern men and boys, and how to help them. We talk to a program director working with boys of color in Baltimore, an economist who’s studied what it means for boys to be raised in single parent households at a record rate, an academic who’s been following these trends for years, and the founder of a nonprofit with an unusual approach to supporting men in their mental health struggles. Podcast Guests: Cameron Miles, founder and director of Mentoring Male Teens in the Hood in Baltimore Melissa Kearney, professor of economics at the University of Maryland and author of The Two-Parent Privilege: How the Decline in Marriage has Increased Inequality and Lowered Social Mobility, and What We Can Do About It Richard Reeves, president of the American Institute for Boys and Men and author of Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male is Struggling, Why it Matters, and What to Do About It Mark Meier, executive director of The Face It Foundation in Minneapolis