Washington Times: Guys got it made? Think again, say advocates

Article here. Excerpt:

'“If just one sex wins, both sexes lose.”

These words, presented Tuesday at an event in Washington sponsored by the Boys Initiative, are intended to start a national conversation aimed at improving the outcomes for American boys and men in school, work, marriage and health.

The figures are stark: Compared to girls, boys are less educated and more medicated. One in five men of prime working age is not working. Men have a life expectancy five years shorter than women. Male suicide rates start out equal to females, but steadily rise over the lifespan.

America ranks No. 1 in the world for the number of men in their 50s and 60s with college degrees, but it ranks only ninth for these degrees among men in their 20s and 30s, Thomas Mortenson, education analyst and board member of the Boys Initiative, said in a report released at the event.

This is a “shameful record” and shows that the United States is not preparing its young men to compete in a global economy, said Mr. Mortenson. “For God’s sake, people, wake up.”'