Not Enough Workers? Part 3: How the Washingtons Could Lead the Way

The work fortunes of men and women are going in opposite directions.

By almost every measure, women are making remarkable progress toward equity in the workplace. Women now make up 47% of the workforce, pay gaps are closing and 40% of women now earn more than the typical man (it was 13% in 1979).

The progress is a result of a significant efforts in marketing, public policy and investments, and while we may not have achieved full equity (there’s still plenty of room for progress in the STEM fields, men still dominate the upper ends of the earning scale — there is still plenty of work to be done), it’s a lot of progress, and that is terrific news economically. It is estimated that the increase of women’s participation in the workforce has meant a $2 trillion dollar boost to the US economy.

Meanwhile, men are disappearing from the workplace. This trend got started in the 1970’s and has been slow in coming, slower in becoming obvious, like a slowly evaporating lake bed. And it ain’t over either. Every bit of evidence suggests it will continue to get worse, with consequences to all of us, unless we do something.

For the longest time, nobody’s been doing anything about it. Until now. Maybe. Washington DC and the state of Washington have an idea that can get us started.

Reading Richard Reeves’ carefully-documented, valuable new book, Of Boys and Men, and exploring the numbers in detail, has been eye-opening.

It’s painful to see how the problems for men in education and the workplace are developing, almost like watching a multicar pileup happen in slow motion.

 It starts with education: 

·      By age 5, girls are 14% more likely to be “school ready” than boys;

·      In an average school district, boys are behind girls by about 1/3 of a grade in English and math; there is some evidence this gap has grown during COVID;

·      Boys account for 2/3 of students in the lowest quintile of report card grades and 1/3 of the students in the highest quintile;

·      Some 88% of girls graduate on time from high school compared with 82% of boys.

·      In higher education, men drop out at higher rates than women and receive a smaller percentage of degrees at every level: 36% of associate’s degrees; 42% of bachelor’s and master’s; and 48% of doctoral degrees.

 In an economy that values education, the problems for men compound in the workplace:

·      Automation and outsourcing have hit traditional male occupations hard; meanwhile the fastest-growing jobs are in the so-called HEAL professions (health, education, administration and literacy). These jobs are more often associated with women (men make up just 13% of registered nurses and social workers; 25% of psychologists).

·      Inflation-adjusted wages for a man with only a high school degree are 14% lower than 40 years ago.

·      Whether because of prison records, disabilities, drug dependency, mental health challenges or discouragement, more men are opting out of work: 40 years ago, 98% of men aged 25-44 were working; today that number is 88%.

 There is an established model for calling attention to gender disparities, with some success in doing something about them.

Thirty-nine states have commissions focusing on the challenges to girls and women; in North Carolina, in addition to a state commission, there are five city and county commissions focusing on women; California has women’s commissions in all major cities and counties.

 Up until now, there have been no equivalent commissions focusing on boys and men. But two Washingtons may be developing models worth looking at.

 Washington DC has a Mayor’s Office on Fathers, Men and Boys that is examining disparities for men and boys of color in the city.

And in January 2023, a bipartisan group of lawmakers in the state of Washington filed a bill proposing a “Washington Commission on Boys and Men.” The bill attempts to address the multitude of challenges men are facing in the state. Men make up:

·      94% of those in prison or jail

·      77% of those who commit suicide

·      70% of homeless not in shelters

·      67% of those dying by overdose

·      66% of those dying in alcohol-related deaths

 Commissions, of course, don’t necessarily accomplish anything. But at least this is the start of an acknowledgement that there are problems and, possibly, the beginning of an effort to name, frame and do something about it.

If we start paying attention to the particular challenges of men, will we be neglecting women? Reeves asks us to think more broadly: “We can hold two thoughts in our head at once. We can be passionate about women’s rights and compassionate toward vulnerable boys and men…it is not a zero sum game.”

 Let’s root for the Washingtons, and see what we can learn from them.

 -Leslie

What’s one thing we could do (as employers, public officials, or friends) to turn the tide for struggling men – in school, at work or at home? Will paying more attention to the challenges of men distract us from paying attention to equity concerns for women?  

References:

Of Boys and Men: https://www.brookings.edu/book/of-boys-and-men/

High School graduation rates by state: https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2021/01/12/the-unreported-gender-gap-in-high-school-graduation-rates/

Higher education graduation rates: https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d15/tables/dt15_318.10.asp

Washington DC  commission: https://www.open-dc.gov/public-bodies/commission-fathers-men-and-boys

State of Washington proposed commission: https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=1270&Year=2023&Initiative=False