Advocating for boys and men does not need to be a zero-sum game, Dr. Richard V. Reeves said Thursday night. There can and should be more done to advance both sexes as well as an open dialogue about their needs in modern society.
“Because it’s obviously true that there is still so much more to do for women and girls, on many fronts,” Dr. Reeves said.
“And I could give a whole separate talk about that, and many people in fact do give lots of talks about that, and they should. Anybody who thinks that there isn’t still more we need to do, even in the U.S., on behalf of our women and girls just isn’t serious. But anybody who thinks that in order to take seriously the remaining obstacles and challenges facing women and girls means we have to somehow ignore the problems of boys and men is also not serious. It’s not a zero-sum game. We can think two thoughts at once and we can do two thoughts at once.”
Dr. Reeves is the founding president of the American Institute for Boys and Men, a best-selling author, highly-respected social scientist, and father of three sons who resides in eastern Tennessee. Along with engagements like Thursday, he has risen to prominence with appearances on some of the world’s most popular podcasts and TV shows.
Dr. Reeves hosted a panel with Christ School students earlier in the day, followed by an evening, adult-oriented program, also in Pingree Auditorium. Greenie Parents welcomed him and other invited guests to campus with a reception in the Patrick Beaver Student Center.
The visit by Dr. Reeves is the first event for this year’s three day-Family Weekend.
He mixed humor and insight for just over than hour Thursday night before taking questions from the audience regarding statistics that show adolescent boys trending the wrong way in terms of college graduation rates, mental health issues, and more. Dr. Reeves said that single-sex schools such Christ School may be as vital as ever – provided they instill kindness and stay on mission. In our case, that is to produce educated men of good character, prepared for both scholastic achievement in college and productive citizenship in adult society.