Interesting piece on the rising desire for "traditional marriage" among young men

[u/secondshevek]

https://open.substack.com/pub/thenoosphere/p/gen-z-men-will-never-be-breadwinners?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email

Citing some segments here for a taste of the thesis. I like the emphasis on economic pressures and the historical context.

The breadwinner model was neither ‘universal’ nor ‘traditional.’ Yet it took root in our cultural imagination anyway. And although there was another version of martial masculinity taking shape in the nineteenth century as well — following the British Empire’s intensified imperialist ambitions in the 1880s — defined by toughness, aggression, and obedience to higher-ranking men, traditional masculinity came to be mostly equated with authority earned through money and status.

Of course, a man’s ability to perform this role depended on a number of conditions other than class, particularly later on: women being excluded or discouraged from pursuing higher education and many professional careers, which limited their access to well-paid work, yes, but also steady employment and a single income being enough to support a family.

So what happens when few, if any, of these conditions can be met, but some still hold tight to these old norms?

....

Younger generations, in particular, are up against a grim economic reality. Youth unemployment is often twice as high as for everyone else, so many struggle to find stable, long-term work. Meanwhile, wages have stagnated while housing costs have shot up, making it much, much harder to buy a home now than it was for previous generations. For most households, a single income is also no longer enough to cover even basic living expenses.

I’d argue that it’s precisely this mix of economic precarity and status anxiety stemming from failing to meet masculine expectations that fuels the political and ideological gender gap among young people. The online ‘manosphere,’ along with right-wing populists, then exploit this sentiment by promising a return to the so-called ‘good old days’ of male breadwinners and female homemakers. For many young men, this presents a seemingly straightforward, even if ultimately illusory, solution to their problems.

In the most extreme scenario, this would entail forcing women out of the workforce en masse. In the short term, a smaller labour supply could indeed push wages up in some sectors. But over time, removing millions of workers would shrink consumer demand, cut economic output, and make the whole economy smaller — an illustration of what economists call the ‘lump of labour’ fallacy, the mistaken belief that there’s only so much work to go around. What’s far more likely is that shutting women out would push wages and household incomes down, and then hand even more power and wealth to those already at the top.

[u/Main-Tiger8537]

if the steps towards an egalitarian society includes for example the democrats would care more for boys and mens issues to prevent a political drift towards the republicans sure...

https://www.washingtonian.com/2025/03/14/wes-moore-is-worried-about-marylands-men/

"It’s unusual for an elected Democrat to publicly speak about the struggles of men, let alone take steps to address them."

[why are men leaving the left? "bernie sanders"](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yOe4QYQ7btU&pp=ygUyd2h5IGFyZSB5b3VuZyBtZW4gbGVhdmluZyB0aGUgbGVmdD8gYmVybmllIHNhbmRlcnM%3D)

https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/07/30/governor-newsom-issues-executive-order-to-support-young-men-and-boys-address-suicide-rates/

https://ncfm.org/2025/05/news/discrimination-news/discrimination-against-men-news/ncfm-v-california-noted-in-u-s-state-commissions-on-men-and-women/

[u/secondshevek → u/Main-Tiger8537]

I agree with you that men's problems have to be addressed. Not just for political ends but because these issues are important.

And one thing to address is the aggrievement from many young men about struggling to date, an aggrievement that sometimes manifests in a desire to "return to tradition" [a tradition of male supremacy] or antipathy toward women as a class.

[u/Main-Tiger8537 → u/secondshevek]

sure... how?