The main idea that Richard V Reeves is trying to get across is that men are in crisis now, and that acknowledging the crisis that men are having doesn’t negate any compassion and equality we still need to seek for women. It is possible to hold the idea in your head that both men and women need support as we work towards equality.
Some of ideas found here are echoed in All In by Josh Levs which looks at the price men pay in society when they try to be active fathers. Men face a huge penalty for taking more than a day or two off to be with their newborn babies, no matter what the policy is at the company.
If Reeves is right, and I can’t be sure because I haven’t done enough research but in many ways what he says sounds in line with thoughts I’ve had, we need to start taking steps to support men. We need to help them see the value in education, and make vocational training easier. We need to make it easier for them to be at home with children, and for families to survive without dual incomes.
Mostly, the Left of the political spectrum needs to help men see a new definition of manhood that isn’t all tied up in being the sole breadwinner and provider for their family. The political Right is doing a “good” job of this, but mostly by wanting to unwind a bunch of progress for women and going back to traditional values that make men powerful. Reeves isn’t advocating for this at all, but says we need to find a better way to speak to men.
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