Reverse Gender Gap: Men Falling Behind

Pretty soon? It’s already happening.

Spoiler

 

We've been critical of masculinity and supportive of women for 40 years. These are the consequences.

 

I totally agree. I also think the evidence for unequal opportunities is inextricably linked to unequal outcomes. Eg lower pay for women shows a bias against females.

If not outcomes, what evidence would demonstrate that opportunity is equal? In response to the NYT article I posted above, countless females wrote that the deck is still clearly stacked against women. Meanwhile, I have two male friends who, like Theo, believe this is more evidence of a bias against males. They probably both can’t be wholly right.

 

I teach college, so I’m probably seeing the situation too late to catch much that is meaningful. What is notable is that the ratio of females to males seems to grow not only between cohorts but within cohorts. My freshman classes are probably slightly biased toward females, but my senior classes are dominated by females. Last year, I had a 20 student class 3 males. This year, that class had 7 males in it, which is probably the most I’ve had in the last few years.

The males I do have seem fine, but again, there is probably a lot of filtering that happens by the time I see them.

 

While I do agree our culture has been less tolerant towards what is traditionally considered masculine, i don’t think being more supportive of women is the problem. I think our economy moving towards service and HEAL is a much bigger issue. A lack of male role models and teachers in K-12 education is also big. Not a lot for men to look forward to in this society unless you like working in an office.

 

For parents of girls who think that there is no war against boys… this was national tv during the Super Bowl. Imagine having boys see this and getting this shoved down their throats daily.

 

Remember the Gillette toxic masculinity commercial?

 

I think a reworked system could be teaching trades at a younger age, maybe even avoid the expense of trade school after HS.

Perhaps trade electives to let kids see what they like instead of that 4th science class or Spanish 2?

I just think its more realistic and a better option for many boys. Being on a job at 18 instead of paying for another year of school would be good too. It would require a reworked system though. Possibly tie It into the dual enrollment option that college bound kids already benefit from.

Graduate HS with a trade certification.

 

Of course when we had an industrial economy, people were writing and arguing that boys/men were being alienated by it too. You go back far enough, the first industrial workers were women and children - because those jobs paid little and were considered degrading to men doing manly agricultural work. The first to work with computers and such were women. People are obsessed with the type of work as being gendered, rather than having work that provides the ability to support a family, build a future, etc. Most jobs suck, and are repetitive and mind-numbing, whether its pushing a button at factory or making another turkey sub for some ungrateful prick.

 

The British system has different tracks based on exams, so you can get on a university track or steered elsewhere maybe sooner than you do here. Its not the worst idea, but I do admire the egalitarianism of our system where everyone in theory should get the same quality of education, and has a chance to go to a college if they want.

 

It seems unbelievable to me anybody would be upset by either commercial (this or Gillette). I mean… does anyone think that NFL commercial was meant to be taken seriously???? It’s a spoof for crying out loud, with the intent of pushing girls flag football. Yeah, it reversed alot of the over the top sexual innuendos in those 80’s movies. That was the joke! “WaR AgAiNsT BoYs”. Holy shitake.

The Gillette commercial on the other hand was meant to be a serious message. I guess one can question the wisdom of mixing social messages and advertising, esp if they want to plug their ears and ignore the message. Still not sure how one connects pushing men to do better or “be better” with declining STEM and academic performance.

 

Males have been coasting on their so-called superiority forever. The females still have something to prove. It was easy to be the dominant gender when females were excluded by law from participating.

The young men better put away their video games and slacker mentalities and, as my old teacher said, apply themselves and meet their potential.

 

Nah, it was a bad take to make it girls against boys. Defend it as funny and a spoof all you want. If they wanted to promote flag football, they could have had the boys cheering the girls and have a positive message. They chose to make it about the boys being dicks.

 

I thought you were doing a bit and making a joke ... but you seem to take this as a serious "war" on boys? Jesus man. This is on the same level as conservatives getting mad about how men (played by dumb comedians) are dumb on sitcoms.

 

Similar to the original movies which often had poor taste or objectified women, I doubt they thought that through to the 2nd derivative of hurting the feelings of men. So I guess it’s somewhat ironic in that way that crass humor trumped men’s fee-fee’s.

Just seems to me any man actually upset, is basically the man version of those feminists they hate. Except sadder and dumber because that commercial itself is so obviously a 1980’s movie spoof of what was rather than what is.

 

Yeah, this is exactly the point I've been making ... everything about society was and still is set up for men half-assing it to succeed, and writing off lack of effort, care or interest in certain things and bad behavior as just boys being boys. And you never have to grow out of it! Even the president can behave like a child, and people love him for it.

 

As Bill Maher says, “live in the current time”. Today’s boys aren’t the boys from the 80’s. My boys are compassionate and caring, but they have also been told that girls deserve a leg up over them because of the historical societal imbalance just like whites and blacks. My boys don’t get to argue that point. They study the history and understand the nuance of what it takes to have a fair society. But hey man, not everyone has that relationship with their parents to talk it out.

 

Who specifically told them that?