Boys and young men are having a tough time in Britain. Our research will take a deeper look at what is holding them back.
In education, boy’s outcomes are worse than girls, all the way from nursery to university, and more boys are excluded from school.
In criminal justice, men make up 96% of the prison population.
In healthcare, men are three-and-a-half times more likely to take their own lives.
In employment, men under thirty earn less than their female peers and are more likely to be unemployed.
In the family, just over one in ten single parent families is headed by a father, resulting in particularly difficult challenges for boys and their mental health.
In our culture we seemed to have turned against boys too. Young men are now told they are guilty of “toxic masculinity,” yet increasing numbers of boys are becoming victims of sexual exploitation and are being exposed to violent porn at a young age.
Here at the Centre for Social Justice we are passionate about boys and young men and that’s why we’re embarking on a massive new project called the Lost Boys, where we’re seeking to explore the root causes of what’s going wrong for boys in Britain.
Initially, the Lost Boys project will concentrate on the six areas that have been highlighted above: education; crime; health (including mental health) employment; fatherlessness; and the online world, including pornography.
We want to know what you think about the challenges facing young men and boys. To contribute to our call for evidence please answer all relevant questions below.
Voices from the frontline are always central to CSJ reports and we warmly welcome specific examples of lived experience.
We would especially like to hear from those who work in sectors that support young men and boys, work in youth charities or is a young man or boy themselves to ensure our research is as robust and relevant as possible.