In a groundbreaking study by Penn State and Ohio University (The Myth of Men’s Stable, Continuous Labor Force Attachment: Multitrajectories of U.S. Baby Boomer Men’s Employment by Adrianne Frech, Jane Lankes, Sarah Damaske, and Adrienne Ohler), researchers have unveiled the complex nature of American men’s workforce participation. Contrary to the long-held view of steady employment, only 41% of baby boomer men followed a consistent work trajectory. This finding challenges traditional notions of the male breadwinner role and its impact on men’s health, social status, and economic stability. Context The study published in Socius critically reassesses the ‘lockstep progression’ of men’s employment, traditionally seen
Among other things, I take issue with “men build social order, liberal democracy, nearly everything else…”. This is simply not true, social order has existed in many forms since people existed, liberal democracy has existed in many places run primarily by women or in mixed gender groups, and men do not exclusively build the world.
Yes, men are experiencing a mental health crisis (at least in the US where I am most familiar), and it has been largely ignored by government but not because women are deemed more important, but because we do not support mental health of anyone. To say no one cares and no one is doing anything about it is like saying no one cares about the lives of our children because we haven’t solved school shootings yet. People know it’s a problem, people want it to change and to fix it, but our system of government is not reflective of the people’s opinions. (This is part of what makes up poorly conceived rhetoric about men ruining things, “if men created our liberal democracy and society as you say, surely it’s obvious it is not working out too well”).
It’s normal to feel upset and defensive when you see a group you identify with suffering. It’s not okay to take those negative emotions and direct them towards other groups, be they gender, ethnic, social, or otherwise. Remember it’s in the best interests of those who oppress to keep the oppressed fighting amongst themselves.