Story Archives of 'men'

Men represent 80 percent of job losses in the U.S. since last fall, according the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics. Traditionally male domains like construction and manufacturing were hit especially hard. Globally, public opinion singles out the macho culture of investment bankers for taking aggressive risks in the market.

Meanwhile, conventionally women’s trades are gaining ground and in countries like Iceland and Lithuania women are gaining political power as well. No wonder some are naming this recession a he-cession.

An article in Foreign Policy titled "The Death of Macho" caught our eye. The author, Reihan Salam, predicts the decline of the he-man era. He's a fellow at the New America Foundation, and joined us on the line from New York.

Foreign Policy: The Death of Macho

(Photo by slagheap via Flickr/Creative Commons)

It’s the summer of the bromance - or so we are told. Maybe even the bromance with benefits. Movies, politics and men’s fashion magazines are hinting that some progressive heterosexual men aren’t afraid to get a little touchy-feely with their fellow dudes. The phrase “man crush” or “bromance” is increasingly tossed around to describe male-to-male relationships that hover somewhere between platonic and romantic. From the current hit film I Love You, Man to Humpday, due out this summer, men who are in like with their fellow men are in the spotlight, which may be played up for a reason.

Here to help us figure out what this all means is Rachel Kramer Bussel, editor of Best Sex Writing 2009 and host of the "In the Flesh" reading series.

The Daily Beast: How Male Bisexuality Got Cool

(Photo by hey skinny via Flickr/Creative Commons)

Boys are influenced by popular culture differently from girls. We'll look at how their general preferences for adventure stories -- with battles and violence -- can work against them, especially within the traditional school system. Our guests are Ralph Fletcher, author of Boy Writers: Reclaiming Their Voices and UNH Professor Tom Newkirk, author of Misreading Masculinity: Boys, Literacy, and Popular Culture.

The Gender Gap Turned On Its Head! Thirty years ago, boys were ahead of the class when it came to academics- from first grade to college commencement. But these days it’s girls who are their class valedictorians…and boys are said to be lagging behind. We’ll look at possible reasons for this flip-flop and what some educators are doing about it. Laura's guests are Dr. Michael Thompson, consultant and psychologist specializing in children and families who has written several books, including "Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys" and Kathy Stevens, Training Director for The Gurian Institute, an educational corporation that helps train schools on learning differences between boys and girls, and co-author of "The Minds of Boys: Saving Our Sons from Falling Behind in School and Life".

*This show originally aired on 5/31/06*

They were raised by fathers who believed that bringing home a paycheck was the way to support their family, but many dads today have a different ideal- they want to bring home the bacon...and help cook it up too. We'll look at the new fatherhood and the challenges it presents. Laura's guests are Professor Brad Harrington, Executive Director of the Boston College Center for Work and Family and Armin Brott, Author of six bestselling books on fatherhood, host of Positive Parenting, a weekly radio show in San Francisco, and nationally known expert on fatherhood.