While major sectors of society – from business, media, and politics to education and technology – celebrate the “unprecedented advancement” of the 21st century, a silent crisis quietly grows behind the curtain. It is behind this curtain that the true work of society is produced and maintained. Without the workers operating in the shadows, the show simply cannot go on.

It is the least discussed issue among traditional media circles but the most pressing and potentially fatal issue our society has ever faced. At a minimum, it breeds continued discord. One could argue it is one of the sad and unintended consequences of why violence among this generation continues to flourish.

Over the last ten years, young men in their 20s and 30s have faced significant challenges in establishing stable careers, accumulating wealth and finding a sense of purpose. It’s created a society that is weaker because young adult men are unable to start their lives, mature into the men they were created to be and, as a result, not establish the families and foundations that strengthen communities.

These issues are reflected across various studies and reports. The labor force participation rate for men aged 25-54 has declined from 97%+ in the 1950s to 86% in recent years.[1] For those aged 25-34, 700,000 fewer men are part of the labor force compared to 2000, which is considerable given population growth.

While incomes for those who are working have increased, the growth has been modest compared to the rising costs of living and education. Inflation in recent years has compounded the effect, essentially eliminating any real income growth. Recessions in the manufacturing and professional services industries over the last few years have created additional hurdles.

A Wall Street Journal article published in September 2024, written by Rachel Wolfe, highlighted the stark reality for so many men in their 20s and 30s. It showed glaring statistics of many men being unemployed, still living at home and searching for a career, girlfriend or spouse. They can’t seem to find their way. The percentage of young men who are stuck living at their parental home has doubled to 20% for those under 35. According to the Center for Immigration Studies, 1-out-of-6 U.S. born men aged 20-64 are not in the labor force as of 2024, meaning they don’t have a job and aren’t looking for one.[2]

In the article, a sampling of men had been quoted as “feeling lost.” One was quoted saying, “I’m not sure what I want out of life. And that’s the problem.” Lack of progress on financial, educational or career-related development can be very depressing for men.

The reason for this is because men were created to work and have goals and a direction. These pursuits are part of men’s beings and give them purpose.

The irony is that, for a multitude of cultural reasons, women are being pushed to live out the same purpose – when that was never why they were created. They were created with their own purpose and interests, not to fill a void that didn’t need filling.

As significantly more women graduate from college compared to men (60% – 40% split), the numbers have finally created a flipped gender pay gap, especially in the professional services industry (white-collar jobs). This industry represents the largest portion of private jobs in the U.S.

While women are financially benefitting from it in the interim, it’s a dynamic that neither gender innately wants. In major metropolitan areas like New York, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., women earn 100%+ of what young men earn – some as high as 120%. These figures are not like-for-like on an hourly basis and aren’t controlled for industry or profession, which makes the real disparity even higher in women’s favor. In other words, young women are making significantly more per hour worked than men.[3]

The other problem is that there are far fewer men working. As of November 2025, there were approximately 3 million more employed women than employed men in white collar industries.[4] For those aged 20-24, male unemployment is 22% higher than female unemployment. When you factor in all management and professional jobs across the three largest white-collar industries (finance, professional services, and education & healthcare), women comprise almost 60% of these jobs. Taking out education and health services, women still account for more than 50% of other white-collar services, including financial activities. When you factor in women under 35, it’s an even higher proportion.

It’s not surprising, given women have the lion’s share of college and post-graduate degrees, whereas men focus on careers and jobs where higher education isn’t required, such as construction and manufacturing.[5] These white-collar jobs are significantly more concentrated in metropolitan areas, whereas the opposite is true in rural areas. In metropolitan areas, there aren’t enough higher-earning men to attract higher-earning women, which is increasing female singleness rates. The disparity is also increasing male singleness rates in rural areas.

This one issue is causing a rippling effect across our culture and society.

Another irony of the new paradigm is that while it seems like women are making progress on the career and wealth fronts for themselves, their lives have become more unfulfilled and chaotic in the process. In 2024, Forbes reported that young women were more likely to report burnout compared to their male peers – and have experienced skyrocketing mental health issues since 2017. Women took nearly seven-in-ten of all mental health-related leaves of absence.[6] The number of women’s groups and female-focused organizations formed in recent years – with the aim of finding greater meaning in life – suggests that, even with increased opportunity, women too are more lost than ever.

So, we now have both more men and more women feeling increasingly unfulfilled – pursuing paths and living lives they were never meant to live – while the so-called “powers that be” insist that society is making “progress.”

Men derive fulfillment through accomplishment and meaningful work because that is how they were created. Women, in their naturally created state, find fulfillment through relationships and the ability to bear and nurture children. This reality is not merely spiritual – it is biological and evolutionary.

As men lose their ability to contribute meaningfully to society, they also lose their sense of purpose, identity, and connection. In turn, society risks losing the foundation of mutual responsibility and intergenerational continuity that sustains thriving communities.

Our new societal predicament begs the question: are we truly educating and guiding young men and women toward paths that lead to long-term fulfillment – or simply toward what is fashionable and politically convenient today?

These trends are not accidental. They are the predictable outcome of the values we’ve chosen to elevate – and the perennial truths we’ve chosen to ignore and forget.

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[1] Hipple, S. F. (2016). Labor force participation: What has happened since the peak? Monthly Labor Review. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2016/article/labor-force-participation-what-has-happened-since-the-peak.htm

[2] Wolfe, Rachel. Wall Street Journal. (Sept 2024). America’s Young Men are Falling Even Further Behind. https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/careers/young-american-men-lost-c1d799f7?gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=ASWzDAg5mnJxWNiHFlQhjlyrHIFP4Xk9rxI5LTAIU33s9ZzE4bX8unmF8e7tjEuHkg%3D%3D&gaa_ts=68e711f6&gaa_sig=eHtve-M6ns5sIv-aGkESP2RKLprv4itXQn0sTICzashu-3xZzkYJcxy0yiU7mEeKZokfombp59wRZc1mq8J1pw%3D%3D

[3] Pew Research Center. (2022, March 28). Young women are out-earning young men in several U.S. cities. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/03/28/young-women-are-out-earning-young-men-in-several-u-s-cities/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

[4] Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2025). A-19. Employed persons by occupation, sex, and age [Table]. U.S. Department of Labor. https://www.bls.gov/web/empsit/cpseea19.htm

[5] Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2020). Women’s data book. U.S. Department of Labor. https://www.bls.gov/opub/reports/womens-databook/2020/

Bureau of Labor Statistics. CPS historical time series tables: Table 17 – Employment status of the civilian population by sex and age. U.S. Department of Labor. https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat17.htm

[6] Robinson, B. (2024, August 10). Mental health related leaves‑of‑absence up 300% since 2017. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrobinson/2024/08/10/mental-health-related-leaves-of-absence-up-300-since-2017/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Smoke blanketed the battlefield. The thunder of muskets and artillery shook the Earth. Napoleon and his French forces were outnumbered by 150,000 soldiers.

While they were outnumbered, they were not broken. Their spirits were strong. They had a mission and a purpose. For God, family and country.

On the fourth day of the battle, the unthinkable happened. In the middle of the battle, Napoleon’s Saxon allies – men who had marched under his banner for years – emerged in the distance. The French looked on with relief, expecting the reinforcements to strengthen their battalion.

Then, the Saxons wheeled their cannons toward the French. They unleashed a storm of iron into the backs of their French comrades.

Panic ensued. Morale collapsed. Men fled, leaders scrambled and cohesion evaporated. The trumpets of retreat rang out.

The Battle of Nations turned in that moment. Napoleon’s downfall began that day, not because of the enemy but because those who should have stood with him abandoned their posts and betrayed the trust given to them.

This is a historical representation of what happens when men surrender their posts and abdicate their responsibilities. When they turn their backs on their God-given purposes and responsibilities, it ripples throughout the ranks of society. Families collapse, morale shatters and the next generation is lost. The children of those men become weeds among the wheat, secretly and unknowingly weakening a nation. The weakness grows from generation to generation.

Why is it that every generation thinks the next is worse off than the last? It’s because men leave it that way. They aren’t leading, even though all of us have these qualities innately within us.

That is the purpose of Mission 77 – to right the abdication of responsibility and to restore a society where too many men have abandoned their posts. They have abandoned their families and left women and children to fend for themselves. They’ve let those who were never meant to lead, lead everyone in the wrong direction.

They have given up on their goals and dreams. They’ve given up on their responsibility to make society better. They’ve relinquished their swords, hurt their fellow man and the rest of society.

All the problems in society today can be traced back to men abdicating their responsibilities to themselves, to their families and to their communities.

It’s time to get off the couch, put down the phone and the video game controller, go to the gym and pick up the weight you were created to bear.

It’s time to join the Mission. Mission 77.

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We have a simple, unapologetic creed: society is stronger morally, foundationally and generationally when men lead it.

Born out of the cultural crossroads our civilization faces today, Mission 77 seeks to restore what is broken by grounding men in faith, building leaders and strengthening families – and to create a legacy of men who will redeem the 21st century through the timeless and eternal values that will never fade.

The 21st century is a time of rapid change, cultural confusion, and the weakening of the very institutions that once held society together. Families are fractured, communities are divided, and men are often left without purpose or direction. In this vacuum, culture bends toward confusion instead of clarity, distraction instead of discipline, and weakness instead of strength.

Mission 77 exists to chart a different course. Rooted in the foundations of faith, family, and fortitude, it calls men to rise with clarity of purpose and to take responsibility for restoring the culture around them.

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We are a community of men who stand for the timeless and natural foundations of humanity that built the greatest civilizations and developed the most advanced technologies the world has ever known.

We believe the path to renewal begins in the heart of men – when fathers, brothers, and leaders take responsibility for shaping families and communities grounded in faith. We believe that when men rise in faith, families are strengthened. When families are strong, communities thrive. And when communities thrive, society is renewed.

Our founders are regular dudes in their 20s and 30s. We were raised in broken families and saw the damage and chaos they created. We grew up in communities and cultures that increasingly glorified harmful ideologies. Whether it’s through indoctrination at schools and universities or being engrained through the media, unnatural and detrimental ideas have spread throughout society, often targeting and weakening the ability of boys to become men.

Like every great mission, it is not a simple task – it is a calling. It’s a challenge to live boldly, lead faithfully, and shape communities for generations to come. We believe that men were created for a specific purpose, mainly to lead and to implement these ideals back into the heart of society.

Our “77” symbolizes completion and resilience. It is a reminder that in life there will be periods of feast and famine, of boom and bust. It’s during the famine and hardship where real men are formed. We must not retreat from hardship or the prospect of failure, for it comes to us all for a purpose. It’s purpose is to build us into the men we were created to become.

We are here to remind every man of that and to organize a community that helps each of us continue our walks down the windy and treacherous paths, to press on when lost in the dark and desolate wildernesses of life, and to scale the great mountains of adversity in order to succeed and fulfill our creation.

Mission 77 is the rallying, trumpet call for men who refuse to stand idle. It is for those who wish to push forward and to join the movement to right society by living with conviction and leading families, communities, and our culture with strength and honor.

Join The Mission today.

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