Men are falling behind. Let's talk about it.

Men are falling behind. Let's talk about it.

From Reasonably Optimistic by The Washington Post

May 20, 2026 · 34 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the struggles boys and men face in various aspects of life and how to address these issues without framing it as a conflict between genders.

Boys and men are struggling across some of the most important measures: education, employment, family life and mental health. But too often, attempts to talk seriously about these problems get pulled into a culture-war fight. So, what’s actually happening, who is struggling and how we can help them without the conversation being framed as men versus women? Host Megan McArdle is joined by Richard Reeves, author of "Of Boys and Men," to break down the reality of the gender divide. Subscribe to The Washington Post  here .

People in this episode

Host: Megan McArdle

Guest: Richard Reeves

Topics covered

  • gender divide
  • education
  • employment
  • mental health
  • family life
  • culture war

Keywords

  • men's issues
  • gender equality
  • education
  • employment
  • mental health
  • family dynamics
  • culture war

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Washington Post

Books & works: Of Boys and Men

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