About Men

A Fatal Miscalculation: Masculinity Researcher Richard Reeves on Why Democrats Lost Young Men by Sam Wolfson
The Guardian, November 8, 2024

The Real Reason for the Rise in Male Childlessness by Stephanie Hegarty
BBC, October 31, 2024

Trump Offered Men Something that Democrats Never Could by Elizabeth Spiers
The New York Times, November 6, 2024

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What implicit and explicit messages are students receiving in our schools about masculinity and femininity? And in what ways and to what extent do these messages invite pluralism and an expansive view of belonging? Following his 2022 publication, Of Boys & Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, & What to Do About It (reviewed in the October 2023 Klingbrief), Richard V. Reeves started the American Institute for Boys and Men to create research-based approaches to bettering the education, mental health, and work and family life of men. In recent weeks, he met with Sam Wolfson of The Guardian before and after the presidential election to discuss its outcome and implications, emphasizing that “an election that was initially expected to be about women and women’s issues turned out to be an election about men.” He emphasizes in particular how “zero-sum framing” played a significant role. In The New York Times, Elizabeth Spiers explores the role of “hegemonic masculinity” in this same election and in our culture. The BBC’s Stephanie Hegarty references a “crisis of masculinity” including women “outperforming men in education in 70% of countries worldwide,” calling for more inclusive and comprehensive approaches in research. Where and how do our students learn about our culture’s spoken and unspoken gender discourse? These articles invite renewed reflection and discussion regarding our policies, curricula, and culture.