{"id":1089,"date":"2025-08-19T07:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-19T13:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/?p=1089"},"modified":"2025-08-14T19:58:08","modified_gmt":"2025-08-15T01:58:08","slug":"dont-look-boys-are-struggling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/2025\/08\/19\/dont-look-boys-are-struggling\/","title":{"rendered":"Don&#8217;t Look: Boys Are Struggling"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3><em>The Inequality We\u2019re Not Allowed to Acknowledge<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Some may notice that I\u2019ll write about children, parenting, biblical issues, church issues, relationships, and some current events. But you may notice that I tend to lean towards and often revisit issues of men\u2019s health. It\u2019s not that men are more important than women, couples, and children. They\u2019re not. It\u2019s not that men are smarter or dumber than women. IQ levels have remained rather steadily similar across cultures and time. It\u2019s because while the whole world is willing to talk about the help that women (rightly) need, such as areas of attempted suicide or breast cancer, no one is addressing the growing problems that plague men and boys. The conversation is very one-sided. I\u2019m not asking for the side to switch, just to show <strong>both<\/strong> sides. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/boy-and-girl-class-1024x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1090\" width=\"571\" height=\"571\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/boy-and-girl-class-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/boy-and-girl-class-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/boy-and-girl-class-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/boy-and-girl-class-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/boy-and-girl-class-1536x1536.png 1536w, https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/boy-and-girl-class-100x100.png 100w, https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/boy-and-girl-class.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 571px) 100vw, 571px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3>Awareness and Budget Comparisons<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Take a look at breast cancer awareness vs. male suicide awareness:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Breast Cancer Awareness: Saturated, normalized, well-funded, and embraced by culture (I have two Breast cancer awareness bands on right now)<\/li><li>Male Suicide Awareness: Underrepresented, stigmatized, and critically lacking in broad public engagement.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!vSC8!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb70f8632-8020-41c2-b4cf-94f29c353e03_2368x1180.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!vSC8!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb70f8632-8020-41c2-b4cf-94f29c353e03_2368x1180.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Or maybe we can look at how many new cases of breast cancer vs. new cases of prostate cancer there are each year, and the correlating federal health budget for each:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>New cases: Prostate cancer new cases are about 91% of breast cancer new cases (255,395 vs. 279,731). \ufeff\ufeff<\/li><li>Federal health budget: Prostate cancer funding is roughly 78% of breast cancer funding ($319.8M vs. $410.5M).<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!Id3O!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9f13ab41-1256-4395-9960-67687314f56f_1536x1024.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!Id3O!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9f13ab41-1256-4395-9960-67687314f56f_1536x1024.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"804\" height=\"536\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Or we could look at federal health budgets for breast cancer vs. male suicide. You\u2019ll see that male suicide is 90% of the total deaths from breast cancer. But <strong><em>the budget for male suicide is &lt; 1% of the budget for breast dancer<\/em><\/strong>. Dr. Richard Reeves might call that a Gap!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!nk0C!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9a15d136-4454-4c56-a2e1-c8866cf8a479_1536x1024.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!nk0C!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9a15d136-4454-4c56-a2e1-c8866cf8a479_1536x1024.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"805\" height=\"537\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Any way you view it, it\u2019s a problem. And many are rightfully calling it a crisis. Surely those in academia are seeing this and doing their part. Certainly they have an avenue to bring awareness to this issue and are willing to do so\u2026 right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>The Chance For Exposure<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Ladies and Gents, step right up. I present to you Exhibit A! The reason I write about men and boys\u2019 issues. I have had hope that the Association for Psychological Science (APS) wouldn\u2019t be so ideologically captured. And for the most part, compared to the American Psychological Association (APA), they\u2019re not. It\u2019s rather difficult to be more ideologically captured than the APA. But here, with exhibit A, we see the blatant move to turn their heads and act like the elephant really isn\u2019t so big. \u201cMaybe if we just ignore it and pretend the elephant isn\u2019t there, it will just go away.\u201d Well, I\u2019m sorry to report, it won\u2019t, because of people like me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The article is titled, \u201c<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.psychologicalscience.org\/publications\/observer\/educational-inequality.html\">Science Counters Education Inequality<\/a>.\u201d In this article they cover educational gaps in society. They covered SES gaps, race gaps, and differences in STEM, reading, and math. They noted, \u201cWomen remain underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields.\u201d And even while highlighting math, they said, \u201cThey\u2019re normally as skilled as boys or even better. The only issue is that they tend to be even better at reading even if they\u2019re good in mathematics.\u201d Every paragraph illuminated ways in which we should close gaps for girls and women. How we should be working towards girls advancing, and the issues that women face. They covered educational inequality\u2014for females.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>The Real Inequality<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019ve read anything I\u2019ve written, you already know where I\u2019m going. They obviously ignored some keys points. They ignored that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>There is a hiring bias in favor of females in STEM.<a href=\"#footnote-1\"><sup>1<\/sup><\/a><\/li><li>While there is a small gap in favor of boys in math, boys are <strong><em>an entire grade behind girls<\/em><\/strong> in English.<a href=\"#footnote-2\"><sup>2<\/sup><\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Which gap is larger, a slight lead, or <strong><em>an entire grade behind?!<\/em><\/strong> They saw gaps in education among race, STEM, and SES, but outright refused to acknowledge the largest gap in the U.S. and the world in education, gender.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The gender gap in education is the largest of any other demographic comparison on earth. Boys are significantly behind in many areas. Possibly as a result of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Feminized classrooms, calling boys who can\u2019t sit still dysfunctional and in need of a diagnosis. Boys are wired to seek, risk, find adventure, and test boundaries. Sitting still simply isn\u2019t what they are wired to do.<\/li><li>Maybe it\u2019s because of a teacher bias in favor of females.<a href=\"#footnote-3\"><sup>3<\/sup><\/a><\/li><li>Perhaps it is society\u2019s paradoxical nature, condemning what it quietly perpetuates, insisting that boys suppress their struggles, \u201cFigure it out\u201d and \u201cGet over it\u201d, as if their pain were a nuisance rather than a need.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Regardless of the cause, the reality remains unmistakable: men and boys are in crisis. The evidence is undeniable. Yet when the APS was handed the chance to confront it, they turned their backs like cowards. As if moral responsibility were optional. As if truth itself could be banished by refusing to look at it. But truth doesn\u2019t vanish; it waits, patient and unyielding, exposing the cowardice of those who pretend it\u2019s not there. They had a moment to choose courage over comfort, and they chose comfort. I shouldn\u2019t be surprised by their retreat. But it\u2019s possible the lingering surprise is proof I still expect more from those who claim to seek truth. They didn\u2019t just miss the mark, they threw the target in the trash. If Dr. <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Richard V Reeves<\/a> were there, he\u2019d be white-knuckled and asking what on earth they were thinking. Scratch that, he wouldn\u2019t have to ask. We both know they saw the opportunity, recognized it for exactly what it was, and still, intentionally decided to parade out Exhibit A in willful blindness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I guess they believe if they just go ostrich-style, we will just shut up. Well, they severely underestimated my stubbornness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Stay Classy GP!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Grainger<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>References<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#footnote-anchor-1\">1<\/a> Honeycutt, N., Careem, A., Lewis, N. A., Jr., &amp; Jussim, L. (2020, August 18). Are STEM Faculty Biased Against Female Applicants? A Robust Replication and Extension of Moss-Racusin and Colleagues (2012). <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.31234\/osf.io\/ezp6d\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.31234\/osf.io\/ezp6d<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#footnote-anchor-2\">2<\/a> Reardon, S. F., Fahle, E. M., Kalogrides, D., Podolsky, A., &amp; Z\u00e1rate, R. C. (2019). Gender achievement gaps in U.S. school districts.<em> American Educational Research Journal, 56<\/em>(6), 2474\u20132508. <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3102\/0002831219843824\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3102\/0002831219843824<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#footnote-anchor-3\">3<\/a> Terrier, C., &amp; Terrier, C. (2020). Boys lag behind: How teachers\u2019 gender biases affect student achievement.<em> Economics of Education Review, 77<\/em>, 101981. <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.econedurev.2020.101981\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.econedurev.2020.101981<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Inequality We\u2019re Not Allowed to Acknowledge Some may notice that I\u2019ll write about children, parenting, biblical issues, church issues, relationships, and some current events. But you may notice that I tend to lean towards and often revisit issues of men\u2019s health. It\u2019s not that men are more important than women, couples, and children. They\u2019re &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/2025\/08\/19\/dont-look-boys-are-struggling\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Don&#8217;t Look: Boys Are Struggling&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0},"categories":[72,166],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1089"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1089"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1089\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1091,"href":"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1089\/revisions\/1091"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1089"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1089"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1089"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}