A social scientist warns that failure to reach key milestones in adult men is bad for society
One social scientist and author told CNN he’s concerned about the number of men in their 30s and 40s who aren’t buying homes or starting families.
“Boys and Men” author Richard Reeves spoke with CNN’s Michael Smerconish about the new social dynamic in America where a significant portion of men are not reaching the standards of adulthood that their parents did, including owning a home or having children.
“It speaks to a change, an important change, which is the fact that these milestones are not reached until later, but for many people they are not reached at all,” Reeves told Smerconish, commenting on the recent Wall Street Journal article discussing this trend.
“And right now, the economic and social prospects of young men seem to be the big problem we’re facing,” he would continue.
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Writer Richard Reeves talks to CNN about the growing number of men who are unable to reach the traditional milestones of adulthood in America. (Screenshot/CNN)
Citing the most troubling data he’s seen, Reeves said, “Yeah, to me it’s the fact that now men in their 30s and 40s, who don’t have a college degree, half of them don’t have children in their homes.”
Reeves, who is also president American Institute for Boys and Menhe noted that the new dynamic is that men, instead of just waiting until later to achieve these milestones, are not achieving them at all, which is worrying.
“Taking a little more time to educate yourself, take time to start a family, maybe settle down financially – that’s undoubtedly a good thing, but that’s not what’s happening now. What’s happening now is that these milestones for many people are simply not be reached at all.”
Elsewhere, he said: “Honestly, Michael, I wasn’t worried about this delay before. Now I’m worried about it because I think we’re going from ‘This is just going to happen later’ to ‘It’s just not happening.’
Furthermore, he noted that men don’t necessarily choose to give up these achievements, they just feel like they can’t reach them. “The data suggests that actually, especially men, they still want to have children, they still want to get married, they still want to start families. It’s just that, for some reason, they’re not able to.”
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“It’s a mix, as always, of economics and culture. This is partly just, you know, young people in particular who feel like they’re not doing as well economically as they should,” Reeves said, adding that current gender division in society further increases this problem.
“A third of men under 30 don’t date. 24% of men in their 20s still live at home, as you just pointed out.”
The expert then pointed out where to start solving this problem. “We need to improve the economic prospects for young men – that is, if you’re going to do one thing. So we need to have more investment in an education system that works for men,” he said, mentioning promoting vocational training, apprenticeships and fighting the male flat rate.
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He also offered, “We just need to lower the temperature on some of these cultural issues, some of these political issues that I think have really driven a wedge between a lot of young men and young, young women.”
Reeves pointed out one place which society has overlooked who compounded this problem, stating, “we haven’t created a culture where it’s easy enough for men and women to form those families, buy a home, start a life.”
