The alarm bells are sounding for young men. Will we listen? | Richard Reeves
The Alarm Bells Are Sounding for Young Men: Will We Listen? | Richard Reeves – Synopsis
In a thought-provoking analysis, Richard Reeves sheds light on the struggles faced by young men today—a topic often met with hurried judgments and blame. Reeves critiques the societal tendency to dismiss young men’s challenges with phrases like “just get off the sofa,” arguing that this mindset ignores deeper, systemic issues. He portrays many young men as “lost,” grappling with conflicting messages about masculinity, purpose, and societal expectations.
Highlighting alarming statistics, Reeves points out a significant rise in drug-related deaths and mental health crises among young men, emphasizing that suicide rates have risen sharply among this demographic since 2010. He challenges the notion that young men are simply irresponsible, attributing their struggles to long-standing economic shifts and the diminishing presence of male role models, particularly in education and mental health fields.
Reeves advocates for a holistic approach, urging society to acknowledge and address the unique challenges young men face. He calls for increased male representation in professions like teaching and counseling, promoting the importance of mentorship, and fostering environments where young men feel seen, supported, and empowered. As conversations continue about gender, Reeves insists that we must ensure they encompass the complexities of masculinity and the urgent needs of young men in modern society.
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Author Video Description
“It’s certainly clear that the issues of boys and men haven’t gone away in the last few years. If anything, they’re getting even more attention, which is good when it’s the right kind of attention.”
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Up next, The real reasons young men are checking out of society | Richard Reeves: Full Interview ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLIEpbLWWao
The conversation around masculinity is a political battlefield, devolving into extreme caricaturization: uncritical celebration or outright demonization. Where does the nuance of this discussion live?
Richard Reeves argues that this binary leaves out the real story: how changing economies, shifting cultural expectations, and the absence of strong male role models have left many young men without a clear path forward.
0:00 Blaming young men
1:24 Rethinking how we talk about masculinity
2:45 The rise in male deaths from drugs
3:17 The male rate of suicide
4:14 Male representation in different professions
6:10 Men and purpose
6:52 Median annual earnings of men
8:54 Men and the “get rich quick” scheme
10:31 Online gambling addiction
12:15 What does non-toxic masculinity look like?
13:17 Policy for young males
14:46 Male support systems
19:08 GPA distribution amongst boys and girls
Read the video transcript ► https://bigthink.com/series/the-big-think-interview/richard-reeves-masculinity-crisis/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description
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About Richard Reeves:
Richard V. Reeves is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, where he directs the Future of the Middle Class Initiative and co-directs the Center on Children and Families. His Brookings research focuses on the middle class, inequality and social mobility.
Richard writes for a wide range of publications, including the New York Times, Guardian, National Affairs, The Atlantic, Democracy Journal, and Wall Street Journal. He is the author of Dream Hoarders (Brookings Institution Press, 2017), and John Stuart Mill – Victorian Firebrand (Atlantic Books, 2007), an intellectual biography of the British liberal philosopher and politician.
Dream Hoarders was named a Book of the Year by The Economist, a Political Book of the Year by The Observer, and was shortlisted for the Goddard Riverside Stephan Russo Book Prize for Social Justice. In September 2017, Politico magazine named Richard one of the top 50 thinkers in the U.S. for his work on class and inequality.
A Brit-American, Richard was director of strategy to the UK’s Deputy Prime Minister from 2010 to 2012. Other previous roles include director of Demos, the London-based political think-tank; social affairs editor of the Observer; principal policy advisor to the Minister for Welfare Reform, and research fellow at the Institute for Public Policy Research. Richard is also a former European Business Speaker of the Year and has a BA from Oxford University and a PhD from Warwick University.
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Video “The alarm bells are sounding for young men. Will we listen? | Richard Reeves” was uploaded on 10/10/2025 to Youtube Channel Big Think