The Crisis No One Will Talk About
How Society Lost Young Men — and Why Everyone Pays the Price
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.
[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