The Gray Area with Sean Illing

Men and boys are struggling. Should we care?


Listen Later

Sean Illing talks with author, researcher, and Brookings Institution senior fellow Richard V. Reeves about his new book Of Boys and Men, which documents the ways that males all over the industrialized world are struggling — and what to do about it. Sean and Richard talk about how this crisis among men has its roots in the progress societies have made toward gender equality, about what has been exposed as the playing field has become more level, and about how to challenge our traditional understandings of masculinity and fatherhood in order to address the crisis — which, Reeves says, will be to everybody's benefit.


Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling), host, The Gray Area

Guest: Richard V. Reeves (@RichardvReeves), author; senior fellow, Brookings Institution; director, Future of the Middle Class Initiative

References: 

  • Of Boys And Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do about It by Richard V. Reeves (Brookings; 2022)
  • "The State of American Friendship: Change, Challenges, and Loss" by Daniel A. Cox (American Survey Center; June 8, 2021)
  • Unbound: How Inequality Constricts Our Economy and What We Can Do about It by Heather Boushey (Harvard; 2019)
  • "Gender Achievement Gaps in U.S. School Districts" by Sean F. Reardon et al. (American Educational Research Journal vol. 56 (6); Apr. 25, 2019)
  • "The GOP's masculinity panic: David French on the cult of toughness on the Trumpist right" by Sean Illing (Jan. 5; episode here or here)
  • "Infrastructure Bill Must Create Pathways for Women To Enter Construction Trades" by Marina Zhavoronkova and Rose Khattar (Center for American Progress; Sept. 20)
  • 12 Rules for Life by Jordan B. Peterson (Random House Canada; 2018)
  • "Few Good Men" by Kathryn Edin (American Prospect; Dec. 19, 2001)
  • "Redshirt the Boys: Why boys should start school a year later than girls" by Richard V. Reeves (The Atlantic; Sept. 14)
  • "What might interrupt men's suicide? Results from an online survey of men" by Fiona L. Shand et al. (BMJ vol. 5 (10); Oct. 15, 2015)

     

    Enjoyed this episode? Rate The Gray Area ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

    Subscribe for free. Be the first to hear the next episode of The Gray Area. Subscribe in your favorite podcast app.

    Support The Gray Area by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

    This episode was made by: 

    • Producer: Erikk Geannikis
    • Editor: Amy Drozdowska
    • Engineer: Patrick Boyd
    • Editorial Director, Vox Talk: A.M. Hall

      Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

      ...more
      View all episodesView all episodes
      Download on the App Store

      The Gray Area with Sean IllingBy Vox

      • 4.5
      • 4.5
      • 4.5
      • 4.5
      • 4.5

      4.5

      10,473 ratings


      More shows like The Gray Area with Sean Illing

      View all
      Fresh Air by NPR

      Fresh Air

      38,132 Listeners

      The Political Scene | The New Yorker by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

      The Political Scene | The New Yorker

      3,899 Listeners

      Gastropod by Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley

      Gastropod

      3,602 Listeners

      Switched on Pop by Vulture

      Switched on Pop

      2,605 Listeners

      Decoder with Nilay Patel by The Verge

      Decoder with Nilay Patel

      3,120 Listeners

      Explain It to Me by Vox

      Explain It to Me

      7,857 Listeners

      The New Yorker Radio Hour by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

      The New Yorker Radio Hour

      6,567 Listeners

      Pivot by New York Magazine

      Pivot

      8,866 Listeners

      The Daily by The New York Times

      The Daily

      111,479 Listeners

      Good One: A Podcast About Jokes by Vulture

      Good One: A Podcast About Jokes

      1,442 Listeners

      Radio Atlantic by The Atlantic

      Radio Atlantic

      2,298 Listeners

      Today, Explained by Vox

      Today, Explained

      10,060 Listeners

      The Cut by Vox Media Podcast Network

      The Cut

      1,584 Listeners

      Interesting Times with Ross Douthat by New York Times Opinion

      Interesting Times with Ross Douthat

      6,649 Listeners

      Future Perfect by Vox

      Future Perfect

      587 Listeners

      Throughline by NPR

      Throughline

      15,878 Listeners

      Land of the Giants by Vulture

      Land of the Giants

      2,144 Listeners

      Unlocking Us with Brené Brown by Vox Media Podcast Network

      Unlocking Us with Brené Brown

      23,595 Listeners

      The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway by Vox Media Podcast Network

      The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway

      5,160 Listeners

      A Touch More with Sue Bird & Megan Rapinoe by Vox Media Podcast Network

      A Touch More with Sue Bird & Megan Rapinoe

      601 Listeners

      Hard Fork by The New York Times

      Hard Fork

      5,358 Listeners

      Celebrity Memoir Book Club by celebritymemoirbookclub@gmail.com

      Celebrity Memoir Book Club

      6,259 Listeners

      The Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion

      The Ezra Klein Show

      15,347 Listeners

      Unexplainable by Vox

      Unexplainable

      2,151 Listeners

      Waveform: The MKBHD Podcast by Vox Media Podcast Network

      Waveform: The MKBHD Podcast

      5,902 Listeners

      Offline with Jon Favreau by Crooked Media

      Offline with Jon Favreau

      2,207 Listeners

      The Interview by The New York Times

      The Interview

      1,428 Listeners

      Not Just Football with Cam Heyward by Cam Heyward

      Not Just Football with Cam Heyward

      141 Listeners

      On with Kara Swisher by Vox Media

      On with Kara Swisher

      3,146 Listeners

      Networth and Chill with Your Rich BFF by Vivian Tu

      Networth and Chill with Your Rich BFF

      1,706 Listeners

      Served with Andy Roddick by Served with Andy Roddick

      Served with Andy Roddick

      871 Listeners

      Prof G Markets by Vox Media Podcast Network

      Prof G Markets

      870 Listeners