Sea Change as Lawmakers Set Out to Remedy Disparities Affecting Men

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Robert Thompson: 301-801-0608

Sea Change as Lawmakers Set Out to Remedy Disparities Affecting Men

WASHINGTON / April 9 – The debate surrounding gender issues has undergone a sea change in recent months as lawmakers are now speaking out on the disparities affecting men. The sea change traces back to November 5, 2024 when millions of White, Hispanic, and Black men voted for presidential candidate Donald Trump, thereby reshaping the political landscape (1).

Previously, persons had assumed that men were the “winners” on the full range of gender issues. But a recently published analysis identifies 12 areas in which men are substantially lagging behind women. These disparities include lower enrollment in higher education, five-year shorter life span, dramatically higher rates of homelessness, and nine other areas (2).

Last month the International Council for Men and Boys released a historic New York Declaration for Men and Boys, designed to galvanize global attention about the pressing needs facing men (3).

Both Democratic and Republican leaders have become actively engaged in this debate. In the past month:

On March 20, Republican Secretary of Education Linda McMahon commented, “Education, originally, begins in the home with the nuclear family…We got a fatherless crisis going on in this country. Far too many kids are growing up without a father, and all the statistics show that kids who grow up with a father in the home perform better in education.” (4)
Four days later, NBC News published an article titled, “The Plight of Boys and Men, Once Sidelined by Democrats, Is Now a Priority.” (5) The commentary highlighted statements made by Democratic governors Wes Moore of Maryland, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, and Ned Lamont of Connecticut that are supportive of men and fathers.

Women also are supportive of establishing male-specific programs. A recent YouGov survey found that 73% of female respondents agreed that society should invest in addressing the societal challenges that men face, such as higher rates of suicide, homelessness, and work fatalities (6).

University of Virginia Professor Brad Wilcox recently revealed, “Our research at the Institute for Family Studies has demonstrated the catastrophic social consequences of absentee fatherhood and family breakdown.” (7)

In response, bills designed to promote and celebrate fatherhood currently are being debated in state legislatures around the country:

Missouri HB927
Missouri HB1441
Missouri HB380
Missouri SB262
New York A01211
New York A07035
North Carolina HB 780
Tennessee HB1131
Texas HB3784
Texas HCR16

More information about each of these bills is available online (8).

SAVE encourages state lawmakers to sponsor, support, and enact bills designed to address the disparities affecting men and fathers.

SAVE – Stop Abusive and Violent Environments – is a 501(c)3 organization working to assure due process, fairness, and equal opportunities for men.

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