Summary of "Of Boys and Men" (Part 1)

The reason why I want to summarize this book is not because of what is happening in the USA. I feel that it is a global phenomenon and Indonesia doesn't escape from this, especially people in big cities.

The cover of this book says, "Why The Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters And What To Do About It", so my opinion should cover why we should pay more attention to it and how to deal with it (some of which comes from the author's standpoint that we can do from a personal's point of view and hopefully the society)

Author's background:

Richard Reeves, a researcher, highlights the struggles of boys and men in education, employment, and family structures. He argues that many of the issues boys and men face are structural rather than individual and that policy interventions designed for girls and women may not work as well for boys and men. The gender segregation of the workforce, the opioid epidemic, and the declining number of close friendships are contributing to a vicious cycle that makes it harder for other men and boys to succeed. Reeves emphasizes the need for more investment in vocational education and training, encouragement for male teachers, and the creation of job opportunities in different fields like STEM and HEAL. Additionally, he suggests paying more attention to understanding and cultivating meaningful friendships, which he believes are crucial to human well-being. Finally, he examines how the concept of marriage has changed in America since the women's movement in the 1970s. 

Summary:

Richard Reeves explains why he decided to write a book on the struggles of boys and men, despite the potential backlash of it being seen as taking away from efforts to support girls and women. Reeves highlights that, after researching the numbers in education, employment, and the family, he found that many boys and men were struggling in ways worse than he previously thought, with those from lower-income and Black backgrounds being especially affected. Additionally, he argues that many of the problems facing boys and men are structural, rather than individual, with the education system, labor market, and changing family structures being some of the key factors. Reeves also believes that policy interventions designed for girls and women do not necessarily work as well for boys and men and that political polarization has hindered productive discussions on the topic. Nevertheless, he aims to offer concrete policy solutions to rectify these issues.

*My Notes:

- Women are still fighting their own battle for gender equality and there's no denying its presence, however we need to understand that the world had a patriarchal structure for thousand of years. So if we look at how fast this women's movement that started in the 1970s to what's happening now, when will we start paying attention to what make men struggling? 

The reason why there's also backlash against Feminism is that some seem to make it a Male vs Female problem and not about equality, because when it comes to Male inequality, it is not brought up to people's attention.

https://basketnews.com/news-181639-kelsey-plum-explained-what-equal-pay-for-wnba-players-is-really-about.html

https://fashionlawjournal.com/are-female-models-paid-more-than-male-models/#:~:text=Thus%2C%20there%20isn't%20much,models%2C%20claims%20the%20industry%20insider.

These 2 links represent inequality to both genders, but one works in an unprofitable business that relies on the gender counterpart's business, while the other works in one of the fastest growing industries. 

- While it is true that the people at the top are still dominated by men (which I'm sure, given enough time, it will not stay at 10% of women on the list), the same thing doesn't apply at the bottom (to a certain extend, the middle class) for many reasons. 

Richard Reeves explains how the education system is structured against boys and men due to differences in brain development, specifically in adolescence, when brain plasticity is equal to that in the early years. High school years, in particular, are critical for educational performance and where we see a significant gender gap in brain development between boys and girls, which has consequences through higher education. Boys struggle more with sitting still and paying attention for extended periods of time, which triggers some developmental difficulties that occur more naturally in boys than girls. Furthermore, there is a significant difference in the timing of brain development in adolescence, and the prefrontal cortex of the brain develops earlier in girls than in boys, putting them at an advantage in an education system that rewards those skills. He concludes the gender inequality in colleges today and how it has shifted from men being favored to women being favored. Women and girls have overtaken men and boys in education, and this has caught everyone by surprise.

Richard Reeves discusses the challenges of obtaining data in regards to gender gaps in education. States are not required to report data disaggregated by sex, which prevents clear understanding and consideration of a gender gap in high school graduation rates which currently stands at 82% for boys, in contrast to the 88% graduation rate for girls. Reeves suggests a need for significantly more investment in vocational education and training, an educational area where boys and men seem to perform better on average than their female counterparts. Additionally, Reeves highlights the need for a serious effort to encourage more male teachers, particularly as men are in the minority in teaching positions and at higher risk of child abuse allegations due to current gender biases. Finally, Reeves emphasizes the economic disadvantage that working-class men have faced over the past few decades in contrast to the income increase for some men at the top. 

*My Notes:

- For the last few months I heard 3 different cases of which boys were treated more like a hindrance or source of problem. 

A boy being yelled at by adults; a boy was accused as an instigator in a conflict; a boy being called naughty by the teacher; a boy being called incapable by the teacher. Two instances are the problem we have in the society, while the other two happens within our system.

My personal belief is that the growing number of working women makes boys more vulnerable in their growth than the girls. But I also believe that the problem is not in the working women, but it is the absence of father's presence even in this modern day, because we are still stuck in this patriarchal society. Male's presence in a boys growth is more important now than ever.

 The boys have less stimulation at home, yet they can't do what I and other boys had/could do 20+ years ago such as FREE open space to play and do sport. To make things worse, parents are less likely to put the boys in learning courses.

The result is women are superior at a higher level in education as stated in the link below:

https://dataindonesia.id/ragam/detail/perempuan-lulusan-universitas-di-ri-lebih-banyak-dibanding-pria

- I allocate some time for my students to move around because as stated in the book and many study, it is harder for boys to stay still. The technology has crippled us to a certain degree without us knowing it. When we move, use our hands, legs or the whole body whether in exercise, sport or active lifestyle, we are not simply moving. It's the motoric skill that we need to train as well and in the process, our hand-eye coordination becomes better.

Technology gives us comfort, but at the same time, we are losing something we take for granted

- As I mentioned before that the significant inequality happens at the top, but at the bottom this is not the case anymore. The economic disadvantage that men have to deal with in Indonesia, basically means that they are not worthy enough.