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5 Switches of Manliness
by Brett on May 9, 2011 160 comments
in A Man's Life, On Manhood
Women are more likely than men to graduate from high school.
Only 44% of undergraduates at community and four year colleges are men.
Female college students have higher grade point averages than men and are more likely
to graduate within four years.
According to the US Census, Among young adults 25 to 29, 35 percent of women and
27 percent of men possessed a bachelors degree or more in 2009. This gap has grown
considerably in the last decade: it was only 3 percentage points in 1999 (30 percent for
women, 27 percent for men).
Women are 60% more likely than men to earn a bachelors degree by the time they are
23.
According to the US Census, for the first time in history, more women than men are
earning advanced degrees. In the 25-29 age group, 9 percent of women and 6 percent of
men held either a masters, professional (such as law or medical) or doctoral degree.
Nearly six out of ten adults holding advanced degrees between the ages of 25 and 29 are
women.
Men lost 3/4 of the 8 million jobs that disappeared during the recession.
For the first time in history, there are now more women in the workforce than men.
1/3 of men ages 22-34 still live at home with their parents. An increase of 100% in the
last 20 years. According to the census, among young adults ages 18-24, 56 percent of
men and 48 percent of women still live at home with their parents.
Plenty of theories have been offered as to what is behind these statistics. Some say the economy
is to blame, as traditionally male industries have been moved off shore or gone extinct. Another
reason given is that corporate culture and bureaucracy have sucked the soul out of men and taken
away their manly autonomy. Others say its our consumer culture and the rise of particularly
time-sucking hobbies like video games. And some say the root of the problem is feminism, the
changing dynamic of male/female relationships, and the cheapness of sex.
But I would argue that there isnt just one thing that you can point at and decisively say, That
one. That one was the man killer. Instead, the source of the modern males lack of motivation is
a conglomeration of all these factors. In short, the problem is modern life in general.
To me the modern world is the best possible world to live in, without a doubt. The advancements
weve made in technology and culture have made life safer, freer, and longer than ever before.
At the same time, no matter how unmitigated a good is, there are always unintended
consequences that we have to grapple with. And the unintended consequence of modern life is
that men feel lost and adrift.
Feeling like there is no way forward, they sit down and surrender, and simply content themselves
with drifting along.
Now some say that the drifting male isnt really a problem at all. That men are obsolete and there
isnt a role for them to play in the modern world anyway. To which I say, bullocks!
Its great that women finally have the freedom and opportunities to be their best, but society
needs to have both sexes striving to reach their fullest potential.
Men at their best will be needed in every time and in every place. Our unique attributes are no
longer always called upon for hunting dinner and doing battle (although as the recent killing of
Osama bin Laden testifies, we certainly still need men for that). But we still need men to become
leaders of families, honorable statesmen, innovators and entrepreneurs, teachers and mentors,
and worthy brothers, husbands, and citizens. Men at their best have something unique to offer the
world no matter what the changing landscape. Men are absolutely vital to the continued health of
society. To throw up our hands and say were obsolete is beyond silly. We just need to learn to
re-purpose our unique manly traits for our new environment.
Theres still a role for men to play in the world. We simply need to find a way to get motivated
and going again. To get back on the horse.
I know its debatable, and everyone is going to have their opinion as to what they are, but I
personally believe that there are five switches that every man must turn on in order to power his
spiritedness and flip on the motivation that allows him to reach his full potential:
Legacy
Providing
Physicality
Nature
Challenge
Over the next several weeks, well be exploring each of the these switches, both the sociology
and biology behind them, but also the practical ways to flip the switches in your life so you can
rein in your restlessness, activate your manliness, and cure the modern male malaise you might
be feeling.