Are the Boys All Right?
It doesn’t take much reading to fall into a deep rabbit hole of research, commentary, and vigorous debate about the ills plaguing the mental health, academic performance, and social engagement of boys and men in the United States.
Over the past several weeks, I’ve had conversations with local philanthropists, observers, and friends about the state of raising males today and how (and whether) the nonprofit sector might be compelled to help.
Numerous social science researchers are documenting troubling trends. Emphasizing the need to pursue fresh approaches to help boys and men thrive doesn’t mean adopting misogynist or anti-feminist stances or neglecting efforts to support girls and women. It’s not a zero-sum game, say proponents; it’s a case of “We all do better when we all do better.”
One of the most visible efforts to raise public awareness and spur civic action comes from the American Institute for Boys and Men (AIBM), a think tank founded by Richard Reeves that received a $20 million grant from Melinda French Gates in 2024.
News of the grant was included in a larger announcement about Gates’ intent to grant $1 billion over the next two years to support gender equality. The work to put boys and men squarely into the picture of the gender equity movement has received pointed criticism.
For decades, economic data and social indicators around girls’ and women’s success have shown that when women and girls receive support—financial and otherwise—the entire society benefits. Gaps in achievement for women and girls in compensation, promotion, and other workforce indicators have long been identified and have proven challenging to ameliorate.
But Reeves paints a different picture for 2026. In a CBS News interview last year, he said, “In a world of floundering men, it is difficult to create a world of flourishing women.” The AIBM website cites this data:
- Men are now 42% of college students but 51% of stop-outs—students who left college after enrolling.
- Men are 32% less likely to re-enroll.
- Men are less likely than women to volunteer in their communities. More than 70% of children on the Big Brothers Big Sisters waitlist are boys because of a lack of Big Brothers.
- Deaths by suicide are four times higher among men than women, and these rates are rising, particularly among younger men.
- Men of color fare particularly poorly. Black men earn only 75% of what white men earn; recent data shows that only 35% of college degrees awarded to Black students were for males.
- 21% of children are being raised by a single female. Many children are growing up without a male role model in the home.
- Online gaming, gambling, and pornography are isolating young men from in-person engagement.
What can be done? AIBM’s David Sasaki suggests four ways that grantmakers might consider getting involved.
First, consider research and public policy work to support a greater awareness and understanding of ways that a college education appears to fail many male students and to explore pathways such as apprenticeships that could provide a productive alternative and a more viable route to a fulfilling career.
Second, think about the world five to 10 years from now, as AI increasingly dominates the workplace. The HEAL careers—health, education, arts, and literacy—will be less affected by AI and today have lower participation of male workers. Support for males to enter these professions is the equivalent of helping women prepare for careers in underrepresented STEM professions.
Third, help study and amplify the numbing effects of online technology, particularly in less-studied areas like video gaming and pornography.
Finally, support work in places like community centers, parks, summer camps, churches, and other local places where young people can find in-person connection, a community of peers, and supportive adults.
It would take a major study of Minnesota grantmaking to identify funders that are concerned with societal trends affecting men and boys.
In California, a group of colleagues formed California Funders for Men and Boys of Color in 2014, a coalition of about 20 grantmakers that share ideas and pool resources to address ways to make California a place where boys and men of color, their families, and communities can thrive.
Perhaps it’s time for a study group on our own state’s outcomes and trends. It’s probably too late to be out in front of these growing concerns, but it’s never too late to make a difference.
