…for all its familiarity, pre-adulthood represents a momentous sociological development. It’s no exaggeration to say that having large numbers of single young men and women living independently, while also having enough disposable income to avoid ever messing up their kitchens, is something entirely new in human experience. Yes, at other points in Western history young people have waited well into their 20s to marry, and yes, office girls and bachelor lawyers have been working and finding amusement in cities for more than a century. But their numbers and their money supply were always relatively small. Today’s pre-adults are a different matter. They are a major demographic event.
What also makes pre-adulthood something new is its radical reversal of the sexual hierarchy. Among pre-adults, women are the first sex. They graduate from college in greater numbers (among Americans ages 25 to 34, 34% of women now have a bachelor’s degree but just 27% of men), and they have higher GPAs. As most professors tell it, they also have more confidence and drive. These strengths carry women through their 20s, when they are more likely than men to be in grad school and making strides in the workplace. In a number of cities, they are even out-earning their brothers and boyfriends.
Still, for these women, one key question won’t go away: Where have the good men gone?
Brutal assessment.
On the other hand, when warning my 11 yr. old son to get his homework and chores done and to do them well, I have reminded him that I don’t want him to grow up to be a 20-something who plays video games all day (and night) in my basement!
We have feminized the schools, sports, church, government and the military and are now wondering where the men have gone. They have been emasculated by our institutions. Look at almost any commercial on any medium. The man is always a dummy and the woman always has to save him. She’s smart, he’s stupid. That’s what our society portrays, so why are we surprized young men believe it?
Agree. I believe it started with Bambi. Disney has done his share. I would be interested in other examples.
Our culture encourages sex without marriage, and thereby releases men from grown-up responsibilities, whilst implying to women that they can manage career and children better by themselves, without taking on the “little boy/man” as yet another household member to have to raise and care for. So men are encouraged to be less responsible as women are informed that they must be solely responsible. In such a society, the statistics and their trends quoted in the article are not surprising.
#2, spot on. Nicely articulated, and accurate.