Neue Forschungsergebnisse verdeutlichen den Mangel an männlichen Mentoren für Jungen und junge Männer. Den meisten Jungen und jungen Männern in den USA mangelt es in kritischen Lebensbereichen häufig an männlichen Führungspersonen. Für viele junge Männer, insbesondere solche aus einkommensschwächeren Verhältnissen, sind die Erwachsenen, die zur Unterstützung zur Verfügung stehen, hauptsächlich Frauen.

I’ve linked to the news release in the post above. In this comment, for those interested, here’s the link to the peer reviewed journal article:

https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA4451-1.html

Peer review statement: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports.html

From the linked article:

**New research highlights a shortage of male mentors for boys and young men**

A new research report published by RAND indicates that **while most boys and young men in the United States have access to adult mentorship, they frequently lack male guidance figures in critical areas of their lives. The data suggests that for many young males, particularly those from lower-income backgrounds, the adults available to assist with schoolwork, relationships, and future planning are predominantly women**.

The analysis revealed that the vast majority of boys and young men do have at least one adult they can trust for guidance. Across all three domains, nearly 90 percent or more of the respondents reported having access to a mentor. However, a closer look at the data shows that these supportive figures are frequently women.

In the context of schoolwork, 78 percent of boys reported having a female mentor. In contrast, only 62 percent reported having a male mentor for educational help. This disparity likely reflects the composition of the education workforce, which is dominated by female teachers.

A similar pattern emerged regarding personal relationships, including friendships. About 78 percent of respondents could turn to a woman for relationship advice. Conversely, only 57 percent expressed that they could turn to a man for similar support.

This discrepancy leaves a significant portion of young males without a same-sex guide. Approximately 38 percent of the boys surveyed did not have any adult male to help with schoolwork. Similarly, 43 percent lacked an adult male to consult regarding friendship or relationship problems.

The gap was slightly smaller regarding future plans, yet a substantial minority still lacked male guidance. One in four boys reported having no adult male to help them navigate their long-term goals. This indicates that while general support is available, gender-specific guidance is less common.

The study also identified a strong correlation between household income and access to male mentorship. The researchers analyzed the data across three income levels: less than $50,000, $50,000 to $99,000, and $100,000 or more. Boys from households facing economic challenges were considerably less likely to have a male mentor than those from wealthier families.

For example, less than half of the boys in the lowest income bracket had a male mentor for schoolwork. Specifically, only 41 percent of boys from households earning less than $50,000 had a male guide in this area. In contrast, 72 percent of boys from households earning $100,000 or more reported having a male mentor for schoolwork.

A similar trend appeared regarding relationship advice. Only 45 percent of boys in the lowest income group had a male mentor for relationships. This compares to 67 percent of boys in the highest income group.

I wonder what it would take to make roles such as teaching more appealing to men.

Then we need to reduce the suspicion of men in education or child centric roles. Yes, some men have committed heinous crimes but by constantly harping on things like ‚rule of three‘ for men but not women and looking at fathers spending time with children with suspicion we are harming an entire generation of children by making mentor/fathering something to be avoided.

It’s mainly because instead of working with your father like you would do in the past, children are mandated by law to go to school which is a field dominated by women. State schools are also mandated to be coed which usually means curtailing boys behavior to act more like girls

In my case I have mostly female mentors with one guiding me how to network with wealthy influential members in my community.

This is also becoming a problem in the UK as well. There is a charity organisation called Lads need dads working for this cause.

A lot of people are commenting that educational institutions fearing that male volunteers will be predators is a factor dissuading men from volunteering with kids, and that certainly could be true, but men are on the whole are much less likely to volunteer than women. At animal shelters, at food banks, at churches and other religious institutions…

So a big part of the solution will be to get more men to volunteer more time across society.