In recent years, political concern with gender equality has reached new heights, with significant efforts made toward closing gaps between men and women in the workplace and beyond.
Progressives can now pat themselves on the back, as a new report from the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) reveals that for the first time, young women are out earning their male peers.
Yes, the gender pay gap has been reversed. But is this really something to celebrate? Or does this development signal a deep crisis that is unfolding among our nation’s young men, a crisis that will incur significant social and economic costs for us all?
The latest findings, published in the CSJ’s landmark "Lost Boys" report, paint a grim picture of the plight of boys and young men in the UK.
The study finds that the British education system is failing boys from the moment they start school. By the end of their first year of primary school, 75% of little girls are achieving expected outcomes, compared to just 60% of their male peers.
Boys are consistently outperformed by girls at every stage of education, all the way through to university. The so-called "gender gap" in education, often portrayed as an issue affecting women, is actually skewed against boys.
By the time children leave school, boys trail girls to the tune of one and a half grades across the top three subjects. And fewer and fewer boys make it into higher education: female undergraduates outnumber males by three to two.
Young men are also more likely to fall behind in the transition from education to employment or training. The number of young men aged 16-24 who are not in education, employment, or training (NEET) has increased dramatically, rising by 40% since the pandemic.
This is compared to an increase of just 7% among young women in the same period. The fastest-growing cause of economic inactivity among young men is poor mental health, perhaps unsurprising given the enormous rise in ADHD and ASD diagnoses among boys.
The future economic consequences of this are deeply concerning; Britain’s economy is already straining under the weight of an increasingly aging and sick society. We cannot afford to lose the contribution of young men in the prime of their lives.
A key factor contributing to the employment struggles of young men is the decline of traditionally male-dominated industries such as manufacturing, agriculture, and construction.
These sectors, once reliable sources of well-paying jobs for young men without university degrees, have been decimated by globalisation. Since 1997, the number of men working in manufacturing has shrunk by over 40%, resulting in the loss of more than 1.3 million jobs in the industry.
As these stable, well-paid, and meaningful jobs disappear, young men are left with fewer opportunities to enter the workforce and achieve status and financial security.
Another reason why young men are struggling to find their way in the world is the stark rise in fatherlessness.
Nearly half of British children now experience parental separation and CSJ polling showed that two-thirds of young men agree that fatherlessness is a leading cause of behavioural problems in children and young adults.
A lack of strong male role models is contributing to a wider crisis of masculinity in Britain today. And growing up without a dad makes boys significantly more likely to end up in prison, have poorer economic outcomes and become absent fathers themselves.
More than four in ten people believe that traditional masculine values—such as courage, resilience, and competitiveness—are no longer valued by society.
At the same time, many young men feel that they are unfairly portrayed as weak or "pathetic" in the media, leading to a deep crisis in male self-esteem.
When masculinity is so frequently labelled as ‘toxic’ and ‘problematic’, it’s easy to see why so many boys have no idea how they are supposed to become good men.
The consequences of this crisis are wide-ranging. Young men are far more likely to find themselves excluded from school, and many are pushed into crime or prison.
At Dallaglio Rugby Works, the charity founded by former England rugby union captain Lawrence Dallaglio to work with children excluded from school, 75% of the young people are boys.
According to Dallaglio, no boys are inherently "bad," but many are born into chaotic environments where they lack positive role models, discipline, or the chance to develop trust.
The idea of traditional masculinity has been undermined in recent years. Yet, it is precisely this "traditional" masculinity that many young men crave.
They are desperate for guidance on how to channel their energy and emotions in a positive, constructive manner. Without the appropriate outlets for their frustrations, many are left feeling hopeless and disenfranchised.
Some resort to violence, some to extreme pornography and misogynistic online ‘communities’. Some isolate themselves in the almost exclusively male world of online gaming. Tragically, many resort to suicide which is now the leading cause of death in young men.
The CSJ’s polling reveals widespread concern about the plight of young men. A significant majority, nearly 56%, believes the school system is failing to nurture this generation of boys.
This concern grows among those aged 18-24, with 66% of young men and 64% of young women believing the education system is not adequately serving boys.
More than half of the public (58%) believe that addressing the issue of fatherlessness would greatly benefit society, and this view is even more strongly held by young men (67%).
The idea that boys are being "let down" by society is not just a concern among academics or think tanks; it is a sentiment that resonates with people across the country.
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Former England Rugby captain Lawrence Dallaglio runs a charity called 'Rugby Works' which works with children excluded from school, 75% of which are young boys.
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We simply cannot continue to ignore our lost boys. For too long, society has focused on achieving ‘equality’ at the expense of addressing the very real needs of young men.
The prevailing narrative has often painted men as the problem, labelling them as "toxic" or "problematic" and failing to offer a positive vision of masculinity.
Men and women are biologically and psychologically different. They want and need different things. We know that status is very important for men; there is a strong correlation between male status and life expectancy.
Yet over recent decades we have steadily eroded all the traditional routes to status for millions of men: meaningful work, marriage, fatherhood and the chance to war respect by taking responsibility to provide for and protect their family.
During the research, the CSJ spoke to hundreds of boys and young men across the country and many amazing charities who work with them.
We were left deeply saddened by the sense of hopelessness felt by far too many during what should be the most optimistic time of their lives.
Over the next few months, the CSJ will begin the task of looking at what can be done—by government, schools and society as a whole—to rescue our boys and to re-envision young men so that they can have hope for their futures.
Too many of Britain’s boys are lost; for the sake of all of our futures we must find a way to save them.
