Men and women are more divided than ever. Time to reassess?

Houston, we have a problem!

Young men and women are drifting apart.

Two decades ago, young men and women generally shared similar world views. Now, there is a significant divide, with men tending towards conservative positions and women towards liberal ones.

The gap is widening at a worrying speed, as evidenced by herds of angry young men around the world. In South Korea, for example, nearly 80% of men in their 20s say they are discriminated against, leading to the election of an overtly anti-feminist president in 2022.

Political polarisation and extreme positions can be dangerous, as they may lead to violence and totalitarianism.

There are underlying issues that contribute to cause this divide.

Women tend to be more educated than men, with 46% of them holding a tertiary degree vs 35% of their men counterparts in the EU in 2022. In general, better education generates more liberal ideas and vice versa.

Men in the rich world tend to struggle at school, start working earlier and retire later than women, while dying younger. Therefore, better working conditions for women are sometimes seen as unfair.

However, neither the media nor politics aim to address these issues, instead they pour gas on the fire.

Mainstream media has leant “left” (far from the left I grew up with and still support), engaging in a daily bombing campaign against “toxic masculinity” and supporting a deranged politically-correct rhetoric. Both women and men avidly read these news, further solidifying their extreme positions, becoming more feminist on one hand and angrier on the other. And this is very good for business!

Meanwhile, the real world has gone in the complete opposite direction.

Right-wing and extreme-right-wing parties have massively grown in popularity in recent years. Some are even led by a woman, like Giorgia Meloni in Italy or Marine Le Pen in France. Hard to believe these parties were voted only by men.

Characters like Donald Trump urge angry men (and women) to take the “red pill”, feeding them with lies and conspiracy theories.

Both sides benefit from and capitalise on the situation.

People with moderate views, who are probably the majority, are left out of the equation.

Being a moderate young(ish) men today is harder than before, as he's frequently scrutinised and doubted. But the irony is that being a young women today is also harder than before!

Today's women often face immense pressure to meet expectations associated with their acquired rights. For instance, they are expected to have a successful career, which is challenging in itself, regardless of gender, while also having children, possibly at least 2.1 to support demographic needs. They are encouraged to freely express their sexuality, yet expected to establish a stable family, likely with a men who is less educated than them, see previous point.

This contradictory message harms our youth.

It leaves them in confusion due to a lack of clear role models. Increasingly, they are dropping out of school and struggling with commitment, while the level of violence rises.

Maybe it’s time to reassess?

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