
Deseret Voices Men’s Identity Crisis: Education, Mental Health, and the Path Forward
Mar 26, 2026
Richard Reeves, social scientist and president of the American Institute for Boys and Men, discusses the growing gaps affecting boys and men. He covers education imbalances and rising male suicide rates. He explores how changing marriage economics reshapes male roles. He examines technology’s unique harms on young men and the need for male role models and open conversations.
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Widening Male Disadvantage In Education And Mental Health
- College enrollment and suicide trends show a widening male disadvantage in education and mental health.
- Richard Reeves notes college is now ~60% female and male suicide rose ~30% since 2010, about 40,000 men a year lost to suicide.
Education System Skews Toward Girls
- Education metrics are skewed with girls dominating top performers and boys overrepresented at the bottom.
- Reeves cites top 10% high schoolers: twice as many girls; bottom 10%: twice as many boys, signaling systemic mismatch.
Technology Harms Are Gendered
- Digital technology affects genders differently: boys retreat into addictive online behaviors while girls suffer social-media relational harms.
- Reeves points to pornography and sports betting pulling boys away from relationships, social media harming girls' body image.

