Modern Wisdom

#614 - Nicholas Eberstadt - Why Do Millions of Men Not Want to Work?

Apr 13, 2023

Nicholas Eberstadt, a political economist and scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, unpacks the troubling trend of over 7 million prime-age men in the U.S. opting out of the workforce. He discusses the socio-economic reasons behind this phenomenon, including mental health implications and the pressure of modern masculinity. Eberstadt reveals how these men often substitute work with extensive screen time and reliance on disability benefits, and he examines the societal impact of their disengagement, challenging conventional narratives around unemployment.

54:59

Creator website

Episode guests

Nicholas Eberstadt

Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

The Decline of Male Sexuality

03:03

The Problem with Not Looking at the Whole Picture

01:22

Screen Time: The Surprising Amount of Time People Spend Watching Screens

01:21

The Challenge to the Idea of Men Without Work

01:33

Intro

5min

Unmasking Hidden Unemployment Among Men

3min

The Vanishing Workforce: Unpacking Male Unemployment

16min

The Silent Struggle: Unemployment and Isolation

11min

The Interplay of Poverty, Misery, and Social Disconnection

3min

Redefining Masculinity in the Modern Workforce

4min

Navigating Post-Pandemic Workforce Dynamics

18min

Nicholas Eberstadt is a political economist, demographer, American Enterprise Institute scholar, and an author.

More than 7 million prime working age men in America are not looking for work, and each year that number continues to grow. Given that unemployment is at a massive low, why are so many capable men checking out of the workforce and don't intend on coming back?

Expect to learn why massive cohorts of men aren’t looking for employment, the repercussions of mass joblessness, how these men are able to support themselves, why they spend over 2000 hours a year on screens while smoking weed, the reason you haven’t heard about this issue before, what it does to men's mental health, the impact of women being the bread winners and much more...

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