Kizzy Gandy & Rose Khattar: Young men are disengaged and isolated post-pandemic

Australia’s economic policy approach to achieving gender equity has rightly focused on improving women’s participation and outcomes. But now a complicating trend is emerging: in certain key demographics, some young men are falling behind.

The stakes extend beyond individual wellbeing — we need all young people to be doing well for sustained economic prosperity.

Overall, men still earn more than women. The majority of powerful political and economic positions are held by men. But for young men, particularly those without university education or living in the regions, the dynamic is flipping.

At the e61 Institute, we have been looking at outcomes for young men over the long-term and since the COVID-19 pandemic: their employment, education, mental health, beliefs about gender norms, and participation in civic life. Some of the trends we see for Gen Z are concerning.

Australia’s economy has undergone a major structural transition, narrowing traditional pathways into secure work for young men without university education. In addition, young Australian women now attend university at higher rates than their male counterparts.

And since the pandemic, the care sector has become the fastest growing source of employment in Australia, due largely to the NDIS and the ageing population.

However, for a range of reasons, including social norms around “women’s work”, young men are not participating at the same rate as young women. With recent increases to care sector wages, on average, young women earn more than young men, flipping the gender hourly wage gap among those aged 25 to 34 for the first time.

The unemployment rate for men aged 15 to 24 is now 10.6 per cent, while for their female counterparts it is 8.3 per cent. So, despite the strong post-pandemic labour market, more than 100,000 young men remain disengaged from economic activity — they are not in full-time study or in the labour force. This disengagement is concentrated in regional and rural areas.

Our research has also found that since the early to mid 2010s, some young men are struggling to maintain social connections and manage risk.

More than 10 per cent of men, compared to 6.4 per cent of women, aged 15 to 24 report rarely or never making time to keep in touch with friends.

And more than 3 per cent of young men, compared to 1.3 per cent of young women, are problem gambling. Despite the attention on sports betting, poker machines remain the leading source of harm for young men who problem gamble.

Another concerning trend is social cohesion.

Today, we see Gen Z men emerging as an outlier in attitudes to the division of labour between men and women. Gen Z men are more likely than their female peers, and older men, to agree with statements such as “men make better political leaders than women do” and “it is better for everyone involved if the man earns the money and the woman takes care of the home and children”.

This is not just an Australian story. Many of the countries that we compare ourselves to are noticing signs of economic shifts, social changes, and cohesion risks that suggest some young men may be facing challenges.

While our electoral system — compulsory voting, preferential voting, and an independent electoral commission — provides protective institutional buffers that other countries lack, it would be unwise to assume we are immune from political polarisation and unrest.

If young men are not brought along on the journey of economic change, we risk entrenching new inequities. We may also fail to address more familiar ones by reducing support for the concept of gender equity for women.

Given these concerning trends for a segment of young men are showing up in multiple domains — including education, employment, health, gambling, and social cohesion — governments around Australia will need to grapple with a more joined-up approach to policymaking based on solid research.

Current policy frameworks, developed when gender disadvantage followed predictable patterns, may not adequately address the new complexities associated with recent economic transformation.

Evidence, not ideology, matters. The work to improve women’s outcomes remains important and unfinished. Starting to invest in young men’s wellbeing alongside this is not a retreat from gender equity – it’s a step towards a more inclusive, cohesive, and prosperous Australia.

Kizzy Gandy is executive director of strategy and engagement at the e61 Institute. Rose Khattar is research manager