Given the fact that most of today's senior political, business and other influential positions are still occupied by men, it might may seem odd to suggest that modern times are one of the most difficult for males.
However documentary-maker, broadcaster and author Tim Samuels, whose new book 'Who Stole My Spear?' deals with modern male issues, believes 2016 represents a hugely challenging period for a lot of men.
May have to read 'Who stole my spear' as struggling to understand why modern life is so difficult for men #Peston
— Beth Briscoe (@BethBriscoe) May 15, 2016
"I think we have to separate the overall male dominance from the individual experience, because men are still running companies, businesses and governments and are undoubtedly still the dominant gender. But I think the individual experience of a lot of men is really challenging," Samuels told Sputnik.
While acknowledging there probably has been more challenging times for men on earth — "getting mauled by a sabre-toothed animal or dying from the bubonic plague wouldn't have been much fun" — Samuels says much of the identity of what it was to be a man is changing, and this is having an impact.
"I think the certainty that has always come from being a man is really up in the air now and a lot of men have lost the sense of who they are and where they are going. Individual men are struggling, despite this sort of overall gender dominance."
Economy Driving Male Uncertainty
Statistics and trends back up Samuels' assertion that a lot of men are having a hard time in the modern world. In the UK alone, male suicide is the biggest killer of men under 45, men make up more than 90 percent of the prison population, while across the OECD area, education statistics have shown young boys consistently dropping behind girls at school.
A central factor behind these worrying trends, according to Samuels, is the changing male identity in modern society, as many traditional notions of manhood and masculinity have been rendered redundant, as traditional blue-collar jobs — like manufacturing — have been lost.
Yes expectations of masculinity cause men a lot of problems including suicide rates. It's because of the patriarchy! #Peston
— Sarah Gillborn (@sarahgillborn) May 15, 2016
"I think the economy has left a lot of men really struggling, far more so than shifts in gender relations. You see these kind of blue-collar guys, who've always done something with their hands, just not cut out for the new economy."
As a result, he says some men are struggling to find meaning and a sense of belonging in their lives, and this can have some dangerous consequences.
"You see these men drawn to more radical politics, drawn to drink more, drawn to violence more. And it's not the big gender shifts, it's seeing the collapse in work ability and finding meaning from what you do as a living," Samuels told Sputnik.
Issue of Masculinity
As some men grapple with shifts in modern life, many have noted the differences in the way young men think about themselves compared to generations past.
Nice quote f @TimDSamuels "Raised on a diet of Bond and Bourne [men are] set loose to hunt in a world of PowerPoint + 360-degree evaluations
— Alex Krasodomski (@akrasodomski) May 18, 2016
Dr Christopher R. Matthews, senior lecturer at the University of Brighton, told Sputnik that problems can arise when trying to label and identify concepts such as "masculinity."
"The idea you have to start with is: what is masculine?" he said, arguing that there is no clear definition of masculinity in modern society.
"These ideas connected to gender are far more fluid. Therefore, it's very easy for one person to think that fighting is masculine, but then another to think that a rejection of fighting is also masculine," Dr Matthews told Sputnik.
A modern man is comfortable in his masculinity enough to be vulnerable, strong, emotional, and thoughtful all at once! #masculinity #ManUp
— Shinjini Das (@SpeakerShinjini) May 19, 2016
Tim Samuels backs up this idea, saying there is room for altering the way many men think about each other.
"The self image that men have of being men is something that might need to shift a bit."
However he also believes there is a "good masculinity" that needs to be embraced.
"I would say there's a good masculinity out there, where men can still be men, but are much more able to talk about their feelings rather than bottle up mental health issues. They can be much more hands-on and emotionally present than previous generations and they can get their aggression out in good ways," Samuels said.
Ok men,reclaim your spear!How to become a21st century Caveman @MattRudd @TimDSamuels @bobbygould_cuna #dontcryinwork pic.twitter.com/1CNECSaTyV
— Colin Donnery (@cdonnery) May 8, 2016
"Men need their space, their male company, their chance to let off a bit of steam. Football grounds used to be a place where working class men especially could go and be with other men, let off that steam and aggression and feed off that tribalism. Nowadays tickets are so expensive, it's much more of a middle class pursuit — it's much more gentrified. Pubs have also become heavily gentrified.
"So I guess in that rush to make everything nice and samey, we've lost a bit of that roughness that was good for men — that idea of going to the pub, going to the football and spending time with each other."
