Why men’s traditional gender roles are changing
Summary
TLDRIn a discussion on the future of masculinity, author Jack Myers posits that traditional male dominance is fading, with young men increasingly outperformed by women in education and the economy. He notes a generational shift where men are defying gender norms and facing new challenges without the support structures women have developed. Jody Kander adds that societal gender roles are converging, leading to confusion and a need for redefined male roles, as men navigate changing expectations in work, family, and relationships.
Takeaways
- 🔍 Jack Myers, author of 'The Future of Men', suggests that traditional male dominance is fading, especially among younger generations.
- 📊 There's a significant shift in education and economic performance, with women outperforming men in college degrees and income for single, childless individuals under 30.
- 👨🎓 Young men are increasingly growing up in environments that defy traditional gender norms, leading to a new perception of masculinity.
- 💼 The job market favors those with college education, which is now predominantly accessed by women, impacting gender roles in the workplace.
- 🏡 Jody Kander points out that gender roles are converging, with examples like women in combat roles and men staying at home, leading to social confusion.
- 💍 There's a societal shift where men are not solely expected to be the primary earners, which is both a challenge and an opportunity.
- 👶 The younger generation of men is more open to sharing responsibilities like childcare and household work, reflecting a change in family dynamics.
- 📉 Despite progress, men still dominate in top leadership positions and political spheres, indicating that gender equality is not fully achieved.
- 👨👩👧👦 There's a need for better support systems and narratives for men to navigate the changing expectations and roles in society.
- 📚 The book 'The Future of Men' by Jack Myers emphasizes the importance of understanding and adapting to the evolving landscape of gender roles and masculinity.
Q & A
What is Jack Myers' perspective on the future of masculinity in the 21st century?
-Jack Myers believes that traditional male dominance is fading, with young men increasingly being defined, dominated, and controlled by women due to changes in education, economic performance, and societal roles.
How does Jack Myers explain the shift in gender dynamics in terms of education?
-Myers points out that women are now outperforming men educationally, with 60% of college degrees going to women compared to only 40% for men, which is a significant flip from the 1970s.
What economic trends does Jack Myers observe that are affecting the concept of masculinity?
-Myers notes that under 30, single, unmarried women are out-earning their male counterparts by almost 20%, and that men are economically underperforming in general, with fewer college degrees and less job security.
How does Jody Kantor's reporting on gender roles align with Jack Myers' views?
-Kantor corroborates Myers' views, stating that gender roles are converging, with traditional scripts being challenged across society, including in the military and family structures.
What challenges do men face today according to the discussion?
-The discussion highlights that men face challenges such as lacking support systems similar to those available to women, and societal expectations that do not align with their economic and educational realities.
What is the impact of these changes on young men's perception of themselves and their roles?
-Young men are growing up in an environment that defies traditional gender norms, leading to a shift in their concept of masculinity and a potential lack of clarity on their roles in society.
How does Jody Kantor describe the current state of gender equality in the workplace?
-Kantor suggests that while there is progress, barriers for women remain stubborn, and there is a complex dual situation where men and women share the anxiety of earning money and raising a family more equally.
What are the implications of these changes for family dynamics?
-The script implies that family dynamics are evolving, with more shared responsibilities and a need for a new narrative that supports men in their changing roles within families.
What role does media and advertising play in perpetuating or changing gender norms according to the discussion?
-The discussion suggests that media and advertising often reinforce outdated gender stereotypes, which can hinder progress towards gender equality and need to change to reflect more accurate and supportive portrayals of men.
What are the key takeaways from Jack Myers' book 'The Future of Men' as discussed in the transcript?
-The key takeaways include the fading of male dominance, the need for a new narrative around masculinity, the importance of supporting men in their changing roles, and the economic and educational shifts that are redefining gender dynamics.
Outlines
🚹 The Shifting Landscape of Masculinity
Jack Myers, author of 'The Future of Men,' discusses the changing dynamics of gender roles, particularly focusing on how young men are increasingly being outperformed by women in education and the workforce. He highlights that traditional masculine norms are being challenged as young men are growing up in environments where women are the primary earners. This shift is leading to a new generation of men who are not learning traditional gender roles and are facing the pressure of adapting to these changes. Jody Kander, a New York Times reporter, adds that gender roles are converging, with women taking on more traditionally male roles and men facing new challenges in defining their identities. The discussion touches on the economic disparities between men and women, especially under the age of 30, and the lack of support systems for men as they navigate these changes.
👨👩👧👦 Redefining Gender Roles and Family Dynamics
The conversation continues with a focus on how society is grappling with the new gender roles and the implications for family life. It is noted that men are sharing the anxiety of earning money and raising a family more equally than before, which presents both challenges and opportunities. The example of Mark Zuckerberg taking paternity leave is cited as a positive sign of changing attitudes towards men's roles in family life. However, it is also acknowledged that women still bear the brunt of household and childcare responsibilities, despite economic advancements. The discussion calls for a better narrative and support system for men, as well as a reevaluation of traditional gender roles in media and advertising, to help men adapt to these changes and find a new sense of identity in relationships and family structures.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Masculinity
💡Gender Norms
💡Economic Performance
💡Educational Attainment
💡Generational Flip
💡Workplace
💡Gender Roles Convergence
💡Stay-at-Home Dad
💡Support Groups
💡Media Portrayal
💡Relationship Dynamics
Highlights
Jack Myers predicts a future where men are increasingly defined, dominated, and controlled by women.
Young men are defying gender norms, being out-educated and out-earned by women.
Currently, 60% of college degrees are awarded to women, a significant shift from the 1970s.
Under 30 single, unmarried women out-earn their male counterparts by almost 20%.
Traditional gender norms are still imposed on young men despite their upbringing.
Gender roles are converging, with women taking combat roles and men staying home.
There is social confusion as people navigate new gender and marriage scripts.
Men lack the support groups and movements that women have had over the years.
Despite societal changes, men still dominate in areas such as top CEO positions and politics.
Boys are 50% more likely to be failing in math, science, and reading in high school.
A college degree's value is diminishing for men, who earn only 10% more in lifetime compared to women's 30-40%.
Younger men are open to the idea of having a spouse who earns more, reflecting societal shifts.
The barriers for women remain stubborn, despite societal progress.
There is a growing anxiety shared by both men and women regarding earning money and raising a family.
Men like Mark Zuckerberg, who take paternity leave, are becoming role models for a new generation.
Even in households where women out-earn men, women still do more housework and childcare.
There is a need to support men and create a better dynamic, especially in media portrayals.
The book 'The Future of Men' by Jack Myers addresses these issues and is available for sale.
Transcripts
Jack Myers is the author of the future
of men masculinity in the 21st century
he believed guys will quote be
increasingly defined dominated and
controlled by
women he's here you don't mind being
controlled by women do you Charlie I
don't want to be controlled by
anybody all right he's here at the table
along with CBS News contributor and New
York Times Reporter Jody kander and
she's written extensively about gender
and workplace issues good morning to
both of you Jack this is really
interesting you say that male dominant
is quickly fading how did you come to
that conclusion well it's really General
it's generational and statistically
young men are defying gender Norms uh
they're undereducated they're being out
learned by women they're being out
educated by women they're being
economically outperformed by women the
jobs that are being created now in in
the workplace are requiring college
education only uh 40% of college degrees
are going to men versus 60% going to
women which is a flip of where we were
in in the
1970s uh economically under 30 single
unmarried women are out earning single
unmarried uh childless uh men under 30
by almost 20% how does that change
generational flip right and how so how
does that change our concept of
masculinity well the this is not that
these young men are not are their
fathers they're not their grandfathers
uh young men are uh who are growing up
more more in fatherless homes uh growing
up in homes where the woman is out
earning uh her husband where they're
both working uh they're not just defying
traditional gender Norms they're not
learning traditional gender Norms so
we're but yet when they come into the
workforce when they come into their
adult years these traditional gender
Norms are still being kind of imposed on
them Jody what do you think of this what
we see in our reporting is really that
gender roles are converging more than
ever before in society whether you look
at women taking combat positions in the
military or father staying home almost
nobody is living out the kind of gender
script or marriage script that their
parents did and we find a lot of social
confusion I was once interviewing a
stay-at-home dad whose wife made a lot
of money and he confessed to me I'd
really like to buy my wife a piece of
jewelry but I can't figure out how how
much to spend because she is the one who
makes the money so we hear a lot of
everyday dilemas and people trying to
figure out this new system and and
that's St at home dad when he goes to
the party or or goes to an event with
his wife the first question he's asked
is so what do you do and that's their
greatest fear because that they're not
being supported they don't have the
support groups they don't have the 60
years of uh support that the women's
movement has had we're starting a whole
new uh generation that doesn't get the
the kind of support they need to help
them as we're moving into this new world
is they're moving into a world where
2third of all the uh is women felt for
so long that we haven't gotten the
support that we well women have had
three three uh periods of uh a women's
movement you go back 60 years and you've
had support groups being formed almost
every corporation has a women's uh group
there are no men's groups uh churches
local organizations Community groups are
not supporting men the way they're
supporting women and men are not
supporting men the way that women are
supporting women but in all the numbers
though really women maintain dominance
right men make more money women make a
you know smaller percentage um women if
you look at the top CEO list if you look
at politics kind of in every single
category actually men are doing just
fine and certainly better than women
until you get into the other under 30
and it's what I really focus on in the
book is our sons and and the trends that
we're seeing and the patterns we're
seeing and and what gener what our sons
are coming into in terms of the
opportunities they have uh they're not
they're undereducated ated they're more
likely Boys in high school are more
likely to be 50% more likely to be
failing math science and reading uh
they're less likely to get into the
colleges because they're uh economically
a college degree doesn't mean as much to
them uh they only earn 10% more in
lifetime with a college degree versus
women who are likely to earn 30 to 40%
more with a college degree so Jody we
hearing all kinds of news about how the
world is changing including more and
more people getting married later more
and more single women are becoming an
important Force how does society sort
all this out well some of it I think is
experienced as very welcome for instance
when I've interviewed younger men some
of them have been grateful and happy to
have the expectation of having a spouse
who will earn when you look at the fact
that a private school college education
costs
$250,000 now there are a lot of younger
men who don't want to ass Ser assume the
burden of providing um solely but I
think that solidad is right to point out
that the barriers to for women are
especially um stubborn in many cases and
so we've got this sort of complex dual
situation um that often ends up feeling
less like men are dominant than women
are dominant but that people are sharing
the anxiety of of earning money and
raising a family more equally than ever
before is the flip side of anxiety the
opportunity to spend time with your
children you look at someone like Mark
Zuckerberg who you know takes a
paternity leave who's kind of a role
model I don't know that there's a lot of
men his age who do that I do acknowledge
in in my book that even where both
parents are working women and and even
where the woman is out earning the men
which is in 50% or more of those homes
women are still doing more hous workor
they're still doing more child care
that's changing uh with younger
Generations but we really need to
support the men and and create a better
Dynamic and a better narrative
especially in media and advertising
which uh portrays men often as uh as
idiots buffoons Homer Simpson is most
iconic TV dad of the last 20 years uh we
really an advertising often portrays men
as not able to change the baby's diaper
pick out their own analgesic we need to
change the narrative around young men
and we need also need to create a better
sense of the man's role in a
relationship and help him understand 85%
of all heterosexual relationships at end
are ended by the woman Jack Myers Jody
caner thank you very much book's called
the future of men it goes on sale today
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