By several measures, men are in trouble. As women's participation in the U.S. labor force climbs, men are dropping out in record numbers. Women are also enrolling in college and graduating in higher numbers. Meanwhile, men face higher levels of substance abuse, more overdoses, greater incarceration rates, lower life expectancies, and suicide levels that are nearly four times above those of women. Men could use a hand, supporters argue, lest these rates worsen. Not so, others contend. Although men may face greater challenges then they once did, opponents assert, they still enjoy major advantages over women. They earn more money than women, they note, and hold far more top positions in business, media, and government. And unlike women, they add, men seldom face sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace and elsewhere. Gender equity, they argue, should focus mainly on women. With all the changes occurring in American society, are men finished and should we help them?

Originally released by Intelligence Squared US, 2023. Streaming video file encoded with permission for digital streaming by Infobase on October 30, 2023.