Boys and Low Self-Esteem

I received my American Psychologist (the journal of the American Psychological Association) in the mail today. In an article by Janet Shibley Hyde of the University of Wisconsin on gender similarities, she points out that girls are not the only ones with self-esteem problems. Hyde states, "In short, self-esteem is roughly as much a problem for adolescent boys as it is for adolescent girls. The popular media's focus on girls as the ones with self-esteem problems may carry a huge cost in leading parents, teachers, and other professionals to overlook boys' self-esteem problems, so that boys do not receive the interventions they need."

Although I am not a big proponent of focusing on self-esteem (it is not neccessarily linked with socially valuable behavior), I agree that boys in our society are overlooked--they are going to college less frequently than girls, are in prison more often, and are committing violent acts that may be a direct result of our lack of interest in their emotional lives. We need more adults who are interested in improving the lives of boys rather than pathologizing their masculinity.

This article from USA Today has more: "Currently, 135 women receive bachelor's degrees for every 100 men. That gender imbalance will widen in the coming years, according to a new report by the U.S. Department of Education. This is ominous for every parent with a male child. The decline in college attendance means many will needlessly miss out on success in life. The loss of educated workers also means the country will be less able to compete economically. The social implications — women having a hard time finding equally educated mates — are already beginning to play out. But the inequity has yet to provoke the kind of response that finally opened opportunities for women a generation ago. In fact, virtually no one is exploring the obvious questions: What has gone wrong? And what happens to all the boys who aren't in college?"