Regular readers in this forum might remember a reference to Nina Easton’s recent Fortune column on declining economic prospects for American men. Now Easton reports some of the response to that initial column.
The focus of that column was an MIT study showing the sharp rise in single-parent households hurts boys more than girls. Other scholars have blamed a rise in more readily available government assistance, making aid checks more appealing than paychecks. The decline of well-paying manufacturing jobs, combined with fast-paced technological change, also factors in.
Flight of fathers. There was broad agreement with the MIT study’s conclusion that the rise of single-parenting has set back achievement levels. “My father was a small-time white-collar criminal that fled the country prior to a court date when I was just a few months old,” Adam C. Dudly writes. “Even now, in my 30s, I struggle with laziness, sense of identity issues, figuring out who I am or what I want to be, and what kind of man I’m supposed to be … I would have to assume most young men are not as proactive as I am.”
“While this may seem glamorous for those who admire movie stars and athletes, such family arrangements in the real world often doom children to lead lives of emotional and material privation,” writes Jason DeSena Trennart. “It is a clear and present danger to the fabric of our republic. Senator Moynihan spoke honestly about this problem in the African American community as long ago as 1965. Sadly, the phenomenon of single-parent households has only grown.”
A rise in autism and ADHD. “Unfortunately, the current debate is being waged by social scientists and psychologists who are quick to blame the issue on vague societal trends (globalization, decline in manufacturing) and of course, single mothers and the lack of a male role model,” writes Michelle Linn. “I suggest you consider exploring how biological (real) science may be playing a role in this alarming issue. The generation of children born since 1988 are by many accounts the unhealthiest on record. The rates of ADHD, asthma, autism, bipolar disorder, diabetes, and allergies have skyrocketed in the last two decades. In 2012, the Centers for Disease Control published a rate of 1 in 5 children having a behavioral disorder or chronic disease.
“It is well known that neurological disorders affect boys more frequently than girls (for autism, the rate is fivefold),” she continues. “Could it be these illnesses and diseases of the central nervous system are actually affecting our economy? It is very easy to blame the lost potential of up to 20% of our youth on social stereotypes and psychology 101 blithering.”
Other factors readers identified: video games, a K-12 education system biased toward girls, the financial gains of women, and affirmative action.
