
Why boys and men are struggling in America
From It Turns Out by Kara Miller
February 3, 2026 · 55 min · Season 1 · Episode 8
About this episode
The episode discusses the struggles faced by boys and men in America, exploring educational, labor, and mental health issues.
Why have so many boys and men fallen behind in America? Boys are behind girls in K-12 education. They are behind girls in getting to college - and staying in college. Millions of prime-age men are missing from the labor force. And men die deaths of despair - suicide and overdoses - at much higher rates than women. Richard Reeves talks about what has shifted culturally for men. How do you turn this around? Why do these issues affect even upper-class boys? How has this issue hurt Democrats - and what can they do about it? Reeves is the author of "Of Boys and Men," the founding president of the American Institute For Boys and Men, and a senior fellow at Brookings. Did you know you can also watch the show? Subscribe to the show on YouTube!
People in this episode
Host: Kara Miller
Guest: Richard Reeves
Topics covered
- education
- gender issues
- mental health
- labor force
- cultural shifts
Keywords
- boys
- men
- education
- labor force
- deaths of despair
- cultural shifts
- Richard Reeves
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: American Institute For Boys and Men, Brookings
Books & works: Of Boys and Men
More episodes of It Turns Out
- Longevity: What we get wrong · June 12, 2026 · 36 min
- Being social scares us. It also makes us happier. · May 29, 2026 · 40 min
- Is College Worth It? (Plus, waitlists and marriage markets) · May 15, 2026 · 40 min
- What we get wrong about weight and nutrition · May 1, 2026 · 44 min
- Should Americans have more kids? · April 17, 2026 · 48 min
- Why white collar jobs are heading to China · April 3, 2026 · 36 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the It Turns Out podcast page.