I’ll agree with you rough is relative. But in terms of a man, supporting a family, I think its more difficult. Of course many things complicate that simple black and white analysis. Such as a better quality of life due to tech, health care and so on than earlier. But as far as a man getting the respect that comes from having and supporting a family, I think it is harder. Of course people can be less materialistic and live more like the WW2 generation and have modest homes, few possessions and be savers. But that is a different topic.
As a side note, do men even have that urge that they need to provide for their family anymore as young millenials? Or has feminism made the two income household the default worldview?
No matter Peter Pan, which is what this article is about, has a choice.
He can sleep on the couch at mom’s or he can strike out and make his own way.
Try as Peter Pan might there is no changing reality.
BTW A younge man who moves home for a few month is not necessarily a Peter Pan. If he is working and saving in order try again. That is not the same thing. If he does chores around the house and pays for his own food and maybe a few dollars for rent.
Just like someone who needs food stamps for a few month is not the same as someone who makes a liftstyle out of being on the dole.
You mention respect. How about a young men having some self respect? If they are not then start paying their own way.
Also, this is KEY, IF a young man can barely take care of himself perhaps he should not seriously consider having a family for a few years. Maybe he needs to work harder and save more money?
Back in the day people would save up 20%, not 3%, in order to buy a home. People actually invested in their homes. Today they have taken the commitment, and motivation, out of everything by making it seem easy.
Its not always hard either. But it is a never ending struggle with moments of joy and even contentment and sadness and hardship along the way.
Loved ones get sick or die. People get cancer or some crippling disease. Get laid off right when they could use the money the most.
But what choice is there? You either choose to live and be a fully functioning adult or you live in lala land with the commies and deadbeats.
There is nothing new here.
I was graduated from college in 1960, and the country was in a big recession. The only people getting jobs then were engineers and people like me with business degrees. I had several job offers and so did my friends in engineering and business.
Our sons finished their post highschool education in the mid to late 1980’s, and the job market was even tougher. They both got jobs and landed on their feet even when the company or business they worked for went belly up. Their friends with worthless/liberal Instant Unemployment Degrees are still struggling and many still live in their parents or grandparents basement or spare bedroom. Those who got married for the most part are divorced and their off spring are losers like their parents.
Forget my personal history.
Go on line and get the Kindle book, “The Triple Package” by Amy Chuang and Jed Rubenfield.
The authors document success and failure in America and the reasons why. They show the world why so many Americans with parents born in this country are basically failures or can’t succeed in life due to their lack of self control and motivation, poor choices of education and failure to master any education they were exposed to.
Yet many sons/daughters of immigrant parents from third world countries regardless of skin color or ethnic background succeed because they are motivated to succeed and have self control to make a success in America.
A few years ago, we saw this reality in an 8th grade honors ceremony with one of our grand daughters. She and 80 other people were honored for their achievements. She was honored for math and English. My wife and I noticed that most of the other award winners were not white and found out later most had immigrant parents. Our grand daughter was one eight white kids being honored.
One of the outstanding winners in many categories was a young girl from Russia. She didn’t speak English when she came to America. She got awards in English, Math and Science. She was one of the 8 white kids.
Later I asked my son about the demographics re those who won awards.
His reply was simple, most of the white kids at school, which made up 60%+ of the students, weren’t motivated and were like their parents. He said the Hispanic kids, honored at the ceremony often had parents, who had recently come to America as adults and worked their butts off to get their kids through school.
A few months later I got the book, Triple Package, and it explained to me what I saw in person at that 8th grade honors ceremony.