So who are the 4 million who have dropped out of the workforce? According to Eberstadt, it’s able-bodied men between the ages of 25 and 50, men who have decided to “sit it out” during the most productive time of their lives.
This isn’t a new trend. It was only exacerbated by the pandemic. The number of men in the prime of their lives who have chosen to not work has been dropping for 50 years.
As Eberstadt put it, “The problem is that over the past half-century in the United States, the fastest growing group of guys has been workforce dropouts, has been prime-age men who are neither working nor looking for work.”
Why are these men not working, not providing for themselves and their families? I would surmise that much of it goes back to the lack of male role models, a culture and educational system that devalues and often ridicules men, and a government that’s more than willing to pay people to stay home rather than participate in the workforce.
As Eberstadt said, “If you’re playing the odds, you’d say that most of these dropout men are being supported by their girlfriends and their families, if you include Uncle Sam as part of the family.”
As we’ve seen many times, every government check that isn’t tied to work only leads to dependence and behaviors that decrease responsibility, rather than to increase it. But there’s more to the story.
While some of the blue-collar jobs that these men would have performed no longer exist because of modern technologies or being shipped to foreign lands, a greater problem is that many of these men have no purpose in life and thus no desire to take the steps to learn new jobs, take responsibility, and provide for themselves or their families. The result is an increasing lethargy and despair. The lack of purpose goes beyond the loss of an industry or a job shipped overseas.
Fathers might be encouraged to guide their sons by asking them three key questions: “How do I become a good man?” “How can I make a lifelong contribution to family and society?” and “What is my ultimate purpose in life?”
These questions are vitally important. When young men find their purpose in life, they become disciplined and focused. They realize that their lives aren’t their own. They not only take responsibility for themselves but also eagerly and gladly accept responsibility for taking care of others.
But when these questions aren’t asked, we see the result in the number of men who have chosen playing video games over the workplace, no longer desire to serve their country (as we see in the declining recruitment numbers of the military), take opioids instead of engage in personal interaction, and become passive and abdicate their traditional role as leaders and providers.
I don’t believe that it’s just a mere coincidence that these men, who were born between the years 1972 and 1997, have chosen to drop out of the workforce. They’re the consequence of being raised in an era in which the family started to break down, thus leaving many of these men fatherless and directionless, and the traditional roles of men and the contributions they make to society weren’t only devalued but often seen as a threat to opportunities for others.
And this cycle is now perpetuating itself with every succeeding generation, as purposeless men begat more purposeless men. Men who have purpose raise children who have purpose, and that message has become increasingly lost.
So what’s the solution? First, as a society, we must return to communicating to men the value they provide as responsible men, fathers, and citizens. This doesn’t mean denying women opportunities. What it does mean is that we should elevate positive male role models in our culture, and stop the negative portrayals of the clueless man, husband, and father that are so prevalent in the media.
It also means that men who have a healthy work ethic and honor responsibilities need to come alongside struggling brothers and encourage, rather than disparage, them. When we send a message that men are worthless, it just sends them further into a spiral of despair and passivity. Whether as an uncle, teacher, friend, or even an acquaintance, we can model and instill the traits of hard work and personal responsibility through showing genuine care and compassion toward them.
By providing this guidance, we can not only bring restoration to these men but also to our society, as men once again become the providers and leaders who will raise up succeeding generations of engaged, forward-looking men.
