A sociologist 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.
“Of Boys and Men” author Richard Reeves spoke to CNN host Michael Smerconish about the social dynamic brewing in America where a significant portion of men do not reach the standards of adulthood that their fathers reached, including owning a home or having children.
“It speaks to a change, an important change, which is the fact that not only were these key milestones not reached later, but for many people, they were not reached at all,” Reeves told Smerconish, commenting on a recent report. Wall Street Journal article Discuss this trend.
He went on to say: “It now appears that the economic and social prospects of young people are the major issue facing us.”
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Author Richard Reeves talks to CNN about the growing number of men unable to reach the traditional milestones of adulthood in America. (Screenshot/CNN)
“Yes, to me, it's the fact that men in their 30s and 40s now who don't have a college degree, half of them don't have children in their home,” Reeves said, citing the most alarming data he's seen. “.
Reeves, who is also president American Institute for Boys and MenThe new dynamic, she notes, is that instead of men waiting later to reach these milestones, they're not reaching them at all, and that's troubling.
“Dedicating more time to education, dedicating your time to raising a family, perhaps achieving financial stability – you could say that's a good thing, but that's not what's happening now. What's happening now is that for many people these milestones are not being reached at all.” “
Elsewhere, he said: “Honestly, Michael, I wasn't worried about this delay. Now I'm worried about it because I think we're moving from 'This will happen later' to 'It's just not happening.'”
Furthermore, he noted that men do not necessarily choose to give up these achievements, but rather feel as if they are unable to reach them. “The data shows that in fact, men in particular, they still want to have children, they still want to get married, they still want to start families. But for some reason, they're not able to.”
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“It's a mix, as always, between economics and culture. And that's partly because young people in particular feel like they're not doing as well economically as they need to,” Reeves said, adding that The current gender gap In society it increases this problem.
“A third of men under 30 are not dating. 24% of men are still living at home in their 20s, as I just pointed out.”
The expert then indicated where to begin to address this problem. “We have to improve the economic prospects of young people – if we are going to do one thing. Therefore, we need more investments in an education system that suits men,” he said, referring to promoting education. Vocational training, apprenticeships and combating male wage stickiness.
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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 driven a wedge between many young men and women.”
Reeves pointed out one place that Society has overlooked it Exacerbating this problem, he said, “We have not created a culture where it is easy for men and women to start these families, buy a house, and start living.”
