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  • Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do about It

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Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do about It Hardcover – November 27, 2022

4.5 out of 5 stars (1,855)

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The Book that Sparked a National Conversation

A Barack Obama 2024 Summer Reading Selection

An Economist Best Book of 2022
A New Yorker Best Book of 2022

Boys and men are struggling. Profound economic and social changes of recent decades have many losing ground in the classroom, the workplace, and in the family. While the lives of women have changed, the lives of many men have remained the same or even worsened.
In this widely praised book, Richard Reeves, father of three sons, a journalist, and now the president of the American Institute for Boys and Men, tackles the complex and urgent crisis of boyhood and manhood. He argues that our attitudes, our institutions, and our laws have failed to keep up. Conservative and progressive politicians, mired in their own ideological warfare, fail to provide thoughtful solutions.
Reeves looks at the structural challenges that face boys and men and offers fresh and innovative solutions that turn the page on the corrosive narrative that plagues this issue.
Of Boys and Men argues that helping the other half of society does not mean giving up on the ideal of gender equality.

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From the Publisher

Osnos
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Speaks to our hearts as well as our heads. A powerful and important book."
—Jonathan Haidt, Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership, New York University—Stern School of Business

"Finally, an analysis of the crisis among men and boys that adds more light than heat. Richard Reeves takes on the issues facing males today with courage and compassion, and offers solutions that are both workable and agreeable across the political spectrum. A much-needed book."
—Arthur Brooks, Professor, Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School, and #1 New York Times bestselling author

"As a feminist who is deeply committed to gender equality and a mother of two young men, I highly recommend Of Boys and Men. Reeves offers real, practical, solutions to create a world that would be better for all of us, across the gender spectrum."
—Anne-Marie Slaughter, CEO, New America and author of Unfinished Business: Women Men Work Family

"Judicious and meticulously researched. Instead of blaming men for their predicament, or pathologizing masculinity, Reeves points to sensible, humane and practical solutions."
—Christina Hoff Sommers, Senior Fellow Emeritus, American Enterprise Institute, author of The War on Boys

"An authoritative overview of the problems faced by boys and men—and most importantly, bold ideas to solve them."
—Andrew Yang

"In this courageous, compelling, and urgently needed book, Reeves argues for dispensing with the damaging narrative of 'toxic' masculinity, and offers concrete suggestions for how to support boys and men."
—Carole Hooven, Harvard University and author of Testosterone: The Story of the Hormone that Dominates and Divides Us

"Important, timely, well-balanced and thoroughly researched, Of Boys and Men effectively outlines the rapid economic, psychological, social and educational decline of males in our society and proposes practical policies that offer a positive masculinity for our sons, brothers and fathers."
—Joe Henrich, Harvard University and author of The WEIRDest People in the World

"Richard Reeves has the rare combination of writerly flair, analytical skill, and unflinching focus on problems that partisans would rather dismiss. Just as Dream Hoarders forced Americans to question our mantras about social mobility, his work on men and boys is provocative, timely, and rich with real-world solutions."
—Evan Osnos, The New Yorker and author of Wildland: The Making of America's Fury

Book Description

The book that Sparked a National Conversation

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Brookings Institution Press
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 27, 2022
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0815739877
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0815739876
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.35 x 1 x 9.3 inches
  • Best Sellers Rank: #18,697 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars (1,855)

About the author

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Richard V. Reeves
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Richard V. Reeves is the founding president of the American Institute for Boys and Men (AIBM) and a non resident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, where he was previously Director of the Center for Children and Families.

Reeves is the author of several books, including the forthcoming "Yes, Boys Can!: Inspiring Stories of Men Who Changed the World - He Can H.E.A.L.", coauthored with Jonathan Juravich, which is intended to inspire boys to be confident and caring through the biographies of 50 fascinating men, past and present, in the fields of health, education, the arts, and literacy (HEAL).

His previous book published in 2022 is Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male is Struggling, Why it Matters, and What to do About It”, a Book of the Year according to the New Yorker and The Economist, and included in Pres. Barack Obama's summer reading list for 2024.

Inspired by his own experiences as a father and policy expert, Richard founded AIBM to bring awareness to the challenges facing boys and men today and to develop evidence-based solutions.Richard V. Reeves is the author most recently of Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do about It (Brookings 2022). He is also a regular a contributor to New York Times, The Atlantic, National Affairs, and other publications.

His previous books include Dream Hoarders: How the American Upper Middle Class Is Leaving Everyone Else in the Dust, Why That Is a Problem, and What to Do About It (Brookings, 2016), All Minus One (with Jonathan Haidt), and John Stuart Mill: Victorian Firebrand (Atlantic, 2007).

Between 2010 and 2012, Richard was director of strategy to the UK’s Deputy Prime Minister. He has also been director of Demos, the London-based political think-tank, principal policy advisor to the Minister for Welfare Reform, research fellow at the Institute for Public Policy Research, among other roles. He is a former European Business Speaker of the Year. A former journalist on the Guardian and Observer newspapers, Richard earned a BA from Oxford University and a PhD from Warwick University.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,855 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find this book to be an essential read, appreciating its heavily researched content and interesting statistics. The writing is well-argued and easy to read, making it a quick and engaging read. They value its gender-based approach, with one customer noting its comprehensive coverage of gender studies, sociology, economics, and political science, while another highlights its focus on socioeconomic issues affecting men and boys.
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67 customers mention content, 54 positive, 13 negative
Customers appreciate the content of the book, describing it as a fascinating read that makes sense and is essential reading for all people.
...Reeves offers a vision for a more positive, compassionate, human vision of masculinity and manhood.Read more
...Great read! Timely.Read more
...This is the most courageous and concrete book I have ever read.Read more
Arrived on time. Good bookRead more
43 customers mention informative, 37 positive, 6 negative
Customers find the book informative and well-researched, providing interesting statistics and facts.
A well researched and thought our book about the problems of boys and men. Written with some humor and great common sense....Read more
Well-researched and well-argued, Of Boys and Men presents a compelling case to take a hard look at the state of males in the United States....Read more
...for women, and a woman in STEM - I found this book to be extremely well-researched, well-written, and important to the next wave of equality and...Read more
Read this book and I found it very informative.Read more
12 customers mention gender-based, 10 positive, 2 negative
Customers appreciate the book's gender-based approach, with one review noting its comprehensive coverage of gender studies across sociology, economics, and political science, while another highlights its focus on socioeconomic issues affecting men and boys.
...easily be framed in a way that holds a partisan bend and gives a very non xenophobic non partisan account of what Boys & Men are dealing with....Read more
...to be extremely well-researched, well-written, and important to the next wave of equality and progress in the US (and world)....Read more
...His shovel-ready solutions are pragmatic and promising for all genders individually and for gender equality overall....Read more
...much any social science discipline - from gender studies to sociology to economics and political science....Read more
12 customers mention writing quality, 10 positive, 2 negative
Customers praise the writing quality of the book, with one customer noting that the first section is particularly well done.
...Very well done. Well researched, well written and groundbreaking.Read more
...Very well written. I have been definitely asking myself a lot of questions after reading this book and I am not even done reading it yet.Read more
...woman in STEM - I found this book to be extremely well-researched, well-written, and important to the next wave of equality and progress in the US...Read more
Well-researched and well-argued, Of Boys and Men presents a compelling case to take a hard look at the state of males in the United States....Read more
11 customers mention important, 11 positive, 0 negative
Customers find the book important and critically needed.
Extremely well-researched, well-written, and important bookRead more
...Essentially, this is a necessary book, and one that I hope that everyone on the Left will readRead more
This is a very much needed book....Read more
Of Boys And Men is an important book on an important subject: the misandry that has prevailed in our society for the last 40 years continues to get...Read more
11 customers mention readability, 9 positive, 2 negative
Customers find the book easy to read and appreciate that it's a quick read, with one customer noting it's highly readable and another mentioning it's easy to understand and adopt.
...The book is well researched, balanced, and easy to read. This is a must read for women, too....Read more
...This is a quick read, and an enjoyable one at that.Read more
In a highly readable book, Reeves packs in reams of data and analysis on how boys and men are doing and the answer is: remarkably poorly....Read more
...The way in which he presented ideas made them easy to understand and adopt....Read more
Everyone should read this book!
5 out of 5 stars
Everyone should read this book!
Should be required reading for all sexes!
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2026
    Fascinating read that provides the cold hard facts of how women are surpassing men in many different fields.
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2023
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    How are things faring in the United States for men and women? Well, if you listen to the popular talk shows and media in general, you will probably believe that men are still far ahead in the race for educational attainment, career achievement, and just about everything else. But reality paints a far different picture and these facts about the problems faced by the males among us is covered in the pages of this book, Of Boys and Men.

    Possibly the most glaring problem right now, and the one that gets talked about the most in this book, is the differences between boys and girls in school. Educational attainment gaps are obvious and growing, and yet this gets almost no coverage in the media. Women have higher graduation rates, both from high school and college and they consistently perform better in school overall. Women receive the bulk of the bachelor’s degrees. Women rank higher overall in their respective high school and college classes. The data backs this up, and this book includes lots of statistical data to back its claims.

    Besides the problems with academic achievement, men face many other problems. Depression is one, and the too frequent result of suicide is another. Male deaths from COVID far outnumber female deaths from COVID. Men still have a great deal of pressure to be the primary economic provider for their families, yet wages have not kept up with inflation. These, and other problems, continue to mount year after year and yet they receive almost no talk in Washington or from politicians in general. And when they do talk, we get the usual polarized, partisan responses from both sides that do nothing to address the problem.

    I like that this book includes so many statistics to back its claims and I like the explanations of things like the wage gap between men and women, as they more clearly show that the 82 cents earned by women for every dollar that men earn is misleading and is deliberately used by some politicians to deceive. I also like that the book includes proposed solutions, like holding off on starting school for boys for an additional year so that they have more time to develop. It might, in fact, be a good idea to start everyone off in school one year later. The cost for things like additional child care and having government help cover the expense will be the subject of much debate, but I like that the book at least offers potential solutions.

    This book is a real eye- opener for everyone and the backup for its claims is solid and indisputable. There is much more that the book could have discussed, like the general lack of motivation of boys compared to the past and what forces, exactly, have caused this problem. It is true that development takes a little longer with most boys, but this was also true forty years ago when I was a young student, and we didn’t have these vast differences in educational attainment between boys and girls. There must be more to the problem, and it warrants more research.

    Reading a book like Of Boys and Men reveals many facts for which most of the public is completely unaware. The book emphasizes again and again that aiding one group doesn’t mean we are taking away from another. It is not a zero-sum game. We can have initiatives that aid boys and have initiatives that aid girls. Whatever the solution, we need to do something before it is too late. We live in a completely different world than in the past and the problems men and boys face require swift responses from our leaders. Of Boys and Men paints a not- so- pretty picture, but things can be improved if we have the courage to put our political differences aside and make a change for the better.
    Customer image
    4.0 out of 5 stars
    The Problems Men and Boys are Facing are Large and Growing

    Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2023
    How are things faring in the United States for men and women? Well, if you listen to the popular talk shows and media in general, you will probably believe that men are still far ahead in the race for educational attainment, career achievement, and just about everything else. But reality paints a far different picture and these facts about the problems faced by the males among us is covered in the pages of this book, Of Boys and Men.

    Possibly the most glaring problem right now, and the one that gets talked about the most in this book, is the differences between boys and girls in school. Educational attainment gaps are obvious and growing, and yet this gets almost no coverage in the media. Women have higher graduation rates, both from high school and college and they consistently perform better in school overall. Women receive the bulk of the bachelor’s degrees. Women rank higher overall in their respective high school and college classes. The data backs this up, and this book includes lots of statistical data to back its claims.

    Besides the problems with academic achievement, men face many other problems. Depression is one, and the too frequent result of suicide is another. Male deaths from COVID far outnumber female deaths from COVID. Men still have a great deal of pressure to be the primary economic provider for their families, yet wages have not kept up with inflation. These, and other problems, continue to mount year after year and yet they receive almost no talk in Washington or from politicians in general. And when they do talk, we get the usual polarized, partisan responses from both sides that do nothing to address the problem.

    I like that this book includes so many statistics to back its claims and I like the explanations of things like the wage gap between men and women, as they more clearly show that the 82 cents earned by women for every dollar that men earn is misleading and is deliberately used by some politicians to deceive. I also like that the book includes proposed solutions, like holding off on starting school for boys for an additional year so that they have more time to develop. It might, in fact, be a good idea to start everyone off in school one year later. The cost for things like additional child care and having government help cover the expense will be the subject of much debate, but I like that the book at least offers potential solutions.

    This book is a real eye- opener for everyone and the backup for its claims is solid and indisputable. There is much more that the book could have discussed, like the general lack of motivation of boys compared to the past and what forces, exactly, have caused this problem. It is true that development takes a little longer with most boys, but this was also true forty years ago when I was a young student, and we didn’t have these vast differences in educational attainment between boys and girls. There must be more to the problem, and it warrants more research.

    Reading a book like Of Boys and Men reveals many facts for which most of the public is completely unaware. The book emphasizes again and again that aiding one group doesn’t mean we are taking away from another. It is not a zero-sum game. We can have initiatives that aid boys and have initiatives that aid girls. Whatever the solution, we need to do something before it is too late. We live in a completely different world than in the past and the problems men and boys face require swift responses from our leaders. Of Boys and Men paints a not- so- pretty picture, but things can be improved if we have the courage to put our political differences aside and make a change for the better.
    Images in this review
    Customer image
    60 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2023
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Men still dominate at the pinnacles of power. Perhaps as a result, the struggles of men and boys lower down on the social ladder are largely ignored. Richard Reeves has written an incredibly interesting book about their problems.

    Women are way ahead of men in graduating from high school and getting college degrees. Reeves looks at the struggles of boys and men through the lens of social class and the terrible plight of Black boys and men in particular. One root of the problem is the struggle of boys in our school system. For every two men earning a college degree there are three women. For every Black man earning a college degree there are two Black women. Another root is the breakdown of traditional gender roles in marriage, the difficulties of balancing work and family in modern marriage, and the large number of children being born outside of marriage. These problems effect people with a high school education or less most acutely. Many men are left feeling dislocated. Men account for 70% of opioid deaths in the US and are 3 times more likely to commit suicide than women. Things are even worse for Black men, who are often seen as threatening. Black boys are more likely to go to prison than become husbands. Black men without a criminal record are less likely to be hired than similarly qualified white men with a criminal record.

    In the last part of his book, Reeves offers some suggestions to help boys and men. Several of these are directed at helping boys in school. Reeves argues that women mature more rapidly than men. He would have the school system redshirt entering boys by default. They would enter kindergarten at age six while girls would continue to enter at age five. This would increase the burden of childcare on parents of boys. Reeves would have the school system offer a year of universal preschool for five-year-olds to help with childcare for redshirted students. Parents could also opt their boys out of redshirting or have their girls enter late. Reeves also would have the school system reemphasize vocational learning and recruit more male teachers.

    Reeves has fewer suggestions to help dislocated fathers. One idea is to fund a system of leave paid for by the state, six months each for mothers and fathers that can be taken up until the child reaches age 18. Leave would be non-transferable, so fathers would have to take their leave or lose it. This would incentivize fathers to engage in child rearing.

    Finally, Reeves briefly discusses the tension between work and family. The nature of work was fixed when workers were assumed to be the male breadwinners of traditional families. Ambitious men had to work long and irregular hours to get ahead. However, both husband and wife typically work in the modern marriage, and it is just too hard for both to be ambitious at work if there are kids. Somehow, society needs to adapt.
    60 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2022
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    As a feminist, a long-term advocate for women, and a woman in STEM - I found this book to be extremely well-researched, well-written, and important to the next wave of equality and progress in the US (and world). Reeves writes beautifully and clearly about intersectionality and the entire book is written from this perspective, highlighting important intersections between gender, race, and class. It was empowering to me as a woman to see the incredible progress made by women between the 1970s and today. As someone who is quite concerned about the polarization of the US and the prime conditions for men to latch on to unhealthy and anti-progressive views about the role of women in society and our rights - this book offered policy suggestions that I am convinced are critical towards healing in this space and elevating men’s views of themselves and changing culture in a beneficial way for both men and women that promotes equality. I highly recommend this book and commend Richard Reeves for writing it.
    95 people found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

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  • Gavin Weal
    5.0 out of 5 stars Everyone should read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 2, 2026
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Excellent book
  • PVJ
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Highly Recommended Read from an Expecting Mother
    Reviewed in Canada on January 4, 2026
    I bought it for my daughter who is expecting her first boy, after having had two girls. She went out of her way to say what a great read it was and how it has helped her and her husband better understand how boys function, learn, and are motivated so differnetly from girls. Highly recommended!
  • Client d'Amazon
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente
    Reviewed in Spain on November 13, 2024
    Uma obra fundadora sobre um aspecto de grande importância: a ignorância académica e mediática da condição masculina e das suas dificuldades particulares.
    Report
  • David Maywald
    5.0 out of 5 stars This book will move the gender debate forwards - a must read
    Reviewed in Australia on November 3, 2022
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    Released in September 2022, from the author of the fantastic social analysis Dream Hoarders (which itself is well worth reading). Richard Reeves has watched his three sons navigate education and the labour force, stating that the “social institution of fatherhood urgently needs an update, to become more focused on direct relationships with children.” Masculinity is not a pathology and it is not toxic, masculinity is a fact of life and it’s completely normal.

    This is a fraught topic that pushes against popular narratives, it challenges both sides of the political spectrum, but it is a topic that desperately deserves policy action. As a father of a son and a daughter, I deeply care about the opportunities that are available to both of them. And I recognise that they have biological gender differences that require tailored approaches for developing their unique talents (for example, boys tend to be more aggressive, boys tend to have more interest in things, while girls tend to have more interest in people – men and women obviously overlap on many dimensions but there are measurable and pronounced gender differences)… I devoured the 180 pages in less than twelve hours following the Amazon delivery of this book. It clearly presents an uncomfortable truth, with compelling narratives and many practical recommendations. Reeves will move the gender debate forward with this book, cutting through the culture wars with precision and authority.

    Eight years ago I wrote about the educational inequalities facing boys and young men: the year-12 retention rate in Australia was 10% lower for boys than it was for girls; there were 50% more female university graduates than men in 2012; literacy rates were about 8-9% lower for boys; the proportion of male primary school teachers was going backwards (from 30% to 20%). An incredibly intense focus on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives has done nothing to support vulnerable boys, nor to reverse these concerning trends during the last decade...

    Of Boys and Men focuses on the United States where 12% of English teachers in middle school are men, 3% of pre-K and Kindergarten teachers are men (who are often stigmatised for their contribution to childcare and early learning), and only 2% of teachers overall are Black men. Affirmative action programs for male teachers pale in comparison to the effusive support for getting more women into STEM… At American universities there are 40% more women graduating with Bachelor and post-graduate degrees, compared to men. In 2020 every single law review at the top 16 law schools had a female editor-in-chief (Is that diverse? Is that inclusive?).

    There has been very significant attention/time/money devoted to increasing women’s participation in STEM training and occupations. Reeves recommends a complementary approach of increasing men’s participation in HEAL sectors (Health, Education, Administration, and Literacy)…

    Reeves does a terrific job of explaining the intersectionality faced by vulnerable boys and men. They are discriminated against because of several characteristics: being male; coming from poorer families; being Black, Brown, or Latino; being disabled; being unemployed or not in the labour force. These factors compound, to present almost insurmountable education/workforce challenges for a large majority of men in Western societies... Allowing harm to most future men (in the name of boosting up women) does nothing to rectify the misguided and flawed approaches of generations past. The “male malaise” has indeed now become an inherited condition, which is entrenching intergenerational inequity.

    “Women have expanded their role, and the range of choices that they can make. Too many men are stuck with the narrow provider role, which is now badly obsolete, not only in theory but also in practice… The result is that the separation of men from women too often means the separation of fathers from children. This is bad for men, bad for women, and bad for children. Just as women have largely broken free of the old, narrow model of motherhood, so men need to escape the confines of the breadwinner model of fatherhood.”

    Reeves argues for three main reforms of education as a starting point: giving boys an extra year of pre-K before starting them in school (by default they will be a year older than girls in the crucial years from age 11-15, when the developmental gap between teenage boys and girls is at it’s largest); an aggressive recruitment drive for male teachers (especially in the teaching of English, and for Black men to become teachers); significant further investment into vocational education including more technical high schools... In terms of combining work with family time, he supports six months of use-it-or-lose-it paid leave for both mother and father (available until the child turns 18 years old). He does not argue for diverting resources away from existing programs (such as for Black teachers or for encouraging women into STEM), instead focusing on how to replicate successful efforts to the areas that now need support.

    The asymmetry of concern for gender equity is truly striking, with massive efforts to push female educational and workforce attainment (including after parity has been reached). World Economic Forum produces a Global Gender Gap Report, which rates countries on fourteen variables (from 0 for complete inequality through to 1 for equality). US higher education has a gender parity score of 1.36 (women are exceeding men), but this gets asymmetrically rounded down to 1 for their calculations. There is no recognition that half of the US gender variables have already been exceeded... Scotland is one of the few places to explicitly target gender inequalities in both directions, seeking to close the undergraduate enrolment gap (it currently favours women by 17%, and they are aiming to reduce that to below 5%).

    It is not beyond decision makers and public policy analysts to hold multiple thoughts/goals/visions in their head at the same time. Expanding the pipeline for female executive talent, supporting high quality childcare, and removing barriers for male educational attainment can all be done at the same time. Huge resources have already been mobilised for a small subset of DEI aspirations, while minimal support has been provided to other equally worthy outcomes.

    “Policymaking is not a zero-sum game in which you have to choose between caring about female disadvantage or the socio-economic gap or male underachievement… All three matter.”

    This is a must-read for all parents, all educators, people who pay attention to evidence, public policy wonks, critical thinkers, people who love the boys in their life, people who care about the opportunities that men have, and for everyone who is passionate about equity. How many more warning signs will we have to drive past as a community, before we fly over the cliff’s edge (with no parachute to protect generations of boys)?

    The author interview between Richard Reeves and Hari Sreenivasan is also well worth watching, which was broadcast on Amanpour and Company in October 2022.

    The life outcomes for all families, for boys from poor/minority/migrant backgrounds in particular, and for disadvantaged men will depend on the education and workforce settings that we shape. Ignoring these issues will incur enormous cost (financial, emotional, social, and in so many other ways). Are we listening, and looking at the evidence?
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    David Maywald
    5.0 out of 5 stars
    This book will move the gender debate forwards - a must read

    Reviewed in Australia on November 3, 2022
    Released in September 2022, from the author of the fantastic social analysis Dream Hoarders (which itself is well worth reading). Richard Reeves has watched his three sons navigate education and the labour force, stating that the “social institution of fatherhood urgently needs an update, to become more focused on direct relationships with children.” Masculinity is not a pathology and it is not toxic, masculinity is a fact of life and it’s completely normal.

    This is a fraught topic that pushes against popular narratives, it challenges both sides of the political spectrum, but it is a topic that desperately deserves policy action. As a father of a son and a daughter, I deeply care about the opportunities that are available to both of them. And I recognise that they have biological gender differences that require tailored approaches for developing their unique talents (for example, boys tend to be more aggressive, boys tend to have more interest in things, while girls tend to have more interest in people – men and women obviously overlap on many dimensions but there are measurable and pronounced gender differences)… I devoured the 180 pages in less than twelve hours following the Amazon delivery of this book. It clearly presents an uncomfortable truth, with compelling narratives and many practical recommendations. Reeves will move the gender debate forward with this book, cutting through the culture wars with precision and authority.

    Eight years ago I wrote about the educational inequalities facing boys and young men: the year-12 retention rate in Australia was 10% lower for boys than it was for girls; there were 50% more female university graduates than men in 2012; literacy rates were about 8-9% lower for boys; the proportion of male primary school teachers was going backwards (from 30% to 20%). An incredibly intense focus on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives has done nothing to support vulnerable boys, nor to reverse these concerning trends during the last decade...

    Of Boys and Men focuses on the United States where 12% of English teachers in middle school are men, 3% of pre-K and Kindergarten teachers are men (who are often stigmatised for their contribution to childcare and early learning), and only 2% of teachers overall are Black men. Affirmative action programs for male teachers pale in comparison to the effusive support for getting more women into STEM… At American universities there are 40% more women graduating with Bachelor and post-graduate degrees, compared to men. In 2020 every single law review at the top 16 law schools had a female editor-in-chief (Is that diverse? Is that inclusive?).

    There has been very significant attention/time/money devoted to increasing women’s participation in STEM training and occupations. Reeves recommends a complementary approach of increasing men’s participation in HEAL sectors (Health, Education, Administration, and Literacy)…

    Reeves does a terrific job of explaining the intersectionality faced by vulnerable boys and men. They are discriminated against because of several characteristics: being male; coming from poorer families; being Black, Brown, or Latino; being disabled; being unemployed or not in the labour force. These factors compound, to present almost insurmountable education/workforce challenges for a large majority of men in Western societies... Allowing harm to most future men (in the name of boosting up women) does nothing to rectify the misguided and flawed approaches of generations past. The “male malaise” has indeed now become an inherited condition, which is entrenching intergenerational inequity.

    “Women have expanded their role, and the range of choices that they can make. Too many men are stuck with the narrow provider role, which is now badly obsolete, not only in theory but also in practice… The result is that the separation of men from women too often means the separation of fathers from children. This is bad for men, bad for women, and bad for children. Just as women have largely broken free of the old, narrow model of motherhood, so men need to escape the confines of the breadwinner model of fatherhood.”

    Reeves argues for three main reforms of education as a starting point: giving boys an extra year of pre-K before starting them in school (by default they will be a year older than girls in the crucial years from age 11-15, when the developmental gap between teenage boys and girls is at it’s largest); an aggressive recruitment drive for male teachers (especially in the teaching of English, and for Black men to become teachers); significant further investment into vocational education including more technical high schools... In terms of combining work with family time, he supports six months of use-it-or-lose-it paid leave for both mother and father (available until the child turns 18 years old). He does not argue for diverting resources away from existing programs (such as for Black teachers or for encouraging women into STEM), instead focusing on how to replicate successful efforts to the areas that now need support.

    The asymmetry of concern for gender equity is truly striking, with massive efforts to push female educational and workforce attainment (including after parity has been reached). World Economic Forum produces a Global Gender Gap Report, which rates countries on fourteen variables (from 0 for complete inequality through to 1 for equality). US higher education has a gender parity score of 1.36 (women are exceeding men), but this gets asymmetrically rounded down to 1 for their calculations. There is no recognition that half of the US gender variables have already been exceeded... Scotland is one of the few places to explicitly target gender inequalities in both directions, seeking to close the undergraduate enrolment gap (it currently favours women by 17%, and they are aiming to reduce that to below 5%).

    It is not beyond decision makers and public policy analysts to hold multiple thoughts/goals/visions in their head at the same time. Expanding the pipeline for female executive talent, supporting high quality childcare, and removing barriers for male educational attainment can all be done at the same time. Huge resources have already been mobilised for a small subset of DEI aspirations, while minimal support has been provided to other equally worthy outcomes.

    “Policymaking is not a zero-sum game in which you have to choose between caring about female disadvantage or the socio-economic gap or male underachievement… All three matter.”

    This is a must-read for all parents, all educators, people who pay attention to evidence, public policy wonks, critical thinkers, people who love the boys in their life, people who care about the opportunities that men have, and for everyone who is passionate about equity. How many more warning signs will we have to drive past as a community, before we fly over the cliff’s edge (with no parachute to protect generations of boys)?

    The author interview between Richard Reeves and Hari Sreenivasan is also well worth watching, which was broadcast on Amanpour and Company in October 2022.

    The life outcomes for all families, for boys from poor/minority/migrant backgrounds in particular, and for disadvantaged men will depend on the education and workforce settings that we shape. Ignoring these issues will incur enormous cost (financial, emotional, social, and in so many other ways). Are we listening, and looking at the evidence?
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  • Uli
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Parts that are missing in gender studies.
    Reviewed in Germany on March 30, 2026
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    The Parts that are missing in gender studies.
    Well written, well founded.
    Explains why progressive news are full of the gender pay gap while medical school is full of women.