Hoorah for Girl Power! How are the Boys Doing?
By Milena Sophie Kayser
Over the past few decades, more and more data have emerged showing that not only are girls surpassing boys in academic performance, but also documenting that boys are more likely to feel socially excluded. For example, a study from November 2023 shows that 51% of girls in the U.S. graduate with a GPA above 3.0, compared to 36% of boys. Girls are also 1.9 times as likely to be in the top 5% of graduating GPAs, while boys are 1.6 times as likely to be in the bottom 5%. The Abitur averages in Germany do not contradict these results. Girls started outperforming boys in 1980 with the gap in performance increasing over the years. These numbers are hardly a secret. The natural response to these statistics is “why is this happening?”
Many trace the gender divide back to biological factors, like sporadic and intense puberty among boys, and aggressive tendencies. Some question if this has to do with the neglect of boys during a time where the focus is on girls to succeed in areas in which they are underrepresented. Teachers and parents might be ignoring how far boys are falling behind in an admirable effort to focus on young women, who have been historically disadvantaged. But this does not address the issue. Ignoring an issue is accepting it. After all, it is easier to ignore something that can be blamed on evolution and gender. Does the neglect and acceptance of these patterns create a negative image of boys that they are actively and/or passively being pressured into?
In the past decade the term “toxic masculinity” has become more prevalent. Toxic masculinity describes a set of stereotypical attitudes and behaviors expected of men, often seen as harmful to both men and society. While this term has been used constructively in an effort to address and criticize disadvantages of women in work or social settings, the question arises whether it reaches the targeted audience and has the desired effect.
The purpose of talking about toxic masculinity on social media is to change these destructive patterns...right? So what if on TikTok for example instead of reaching men, who might add to this patriarchal construct, it reaches young boys? 25% of TikTok users are between the ages of 10 and 19, of which approximately 57% are boys. If this is the audience these videos are reaching, might it be fair to ask whether this criticism is projecting expectations of negative behavior onto individuals who have not participated in what is being addressed? Is this not counterproductive?
No matter the gender, telling a child, “do not become a toxic female/male” might do more damage than good.
So this leads to another question: Are we as a society at fault for alienating and isolating boys? Barney Brawer, director of the Boys’ Project at Tufts University told Education Weekly:
“We’ve deconstructed the old version of manhood, but we’ve not (yet) constructed a new one.”
The constant reminder of what boys should not be at a young age leads to uncertainty. On average boys record higher activity levels than girls, especially in the age between 6 and 18. During these years they should be receiving discipline and guidelines, maybe even harsher ones than girls, as well as tolerance, understanding and encouragement. Neglecting their decline in academic success because of their “nature” harms boys. The consequences are boys growing up with insecurities about their capabilities, especially regarding the education system. Not doing well in school can take a huge toll on someone's mental health and should never be held against them, but rather helped with.
Richard Reeves argues in his book Of Boys and Men that just as women are finally making headway in the traditionally male-dominated STEM industries, men should be looking to expand their part in HEAL jobs (health, education, administration, literacy).
However, one might argue that the consequences of insecurity during school and poor academic results leads to seeking of respect and validation through other outlets, for example physical dominance and the conventional picture of men in physical jobs.
However, precisely these jobs, for example in manufacturing, are the ones that are becoming scarcer through globalization and the transition to a service economy.
This cycle creates a fundamental fear that the role of men in society is becoming obsolete.
One consequence of structural economic change is downward intergenerational mobility. Jacobs and Kayser show in Downward Mobility and Far-Right Party Support that if your parent’s job is viewed as a higher status job than your own, that you are more likely to vote far right. So in the fight against populist right-wing politics and the repetition of history, might the next step in moving towards a more liberal, united world be not only celebrating girls but also supporting boys?
