Where the Boys Are
In What’s Happening to Boys, Leonard Sax reinforces the idea that mainstream media reflects social reality. He uses “Failure to Launch” to introduce a discussion on an increasing trend for males, who are aged in their twenties and early thirties, to continue living with their parents. Sax writes, “According to the Census Bureau, fully one-third of young men ages 22 to 34 are still living at home with their parents — a roughly 100 percent increase in the past 20 years.”
The increase of men living with their parents may serve as evidence of gender role subversion and the reshaping of social norms. Perhaps, their decision to live at home prepares them for their potential future of staying home to raise children while their female counterparts earn money to support the family financially.
There are alternative reasons that men choose to stay at their parents’ home. Due to an increased life expectancy, men may be intentionally slowing their personal growth. They are simply delaying their experiences with life’s great disappointments or simply avoiding them altogether.
In any case, the current trend invalidates quips such as “men have the will, women have the won’t.”