Esa's Notebook

International Boys’ Day, May 16, celebrates all the positive elements that boys bring to their families and communities. It also highlights the issues and challenges that boys face as they develop (https://internationalboysday.org.au/about-us/).

It’s amazing how little media interest there was in the day. I didn’t see any articles in newspapers or discussions in social media. None!

 However, boys need at least as much attention in society as girls. As The International Boys´ Day organization says, boys

1. are 50 % more likely to fail meeting basic proficiency standards in reading than girls.
2. are two times more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD compared to girls.
3. are more likely to be the victims of violent crime.
4. are severely behind girls in school grades. Boys take 70% of D’s and Failed grades.
5. suicide rate is four times higher than girls.
6. are five times more likely to end up in juvenile detention, and 85% of those detained boys grew up without a father figure present in their lives.

I do not know of many societal issues that are as prominent as the ones mentioned above. Personally, I do not understand the confusing silence that still prevails in relation to boys’ problems. In the current discussion climate, where social grievances are usually considered accurately and topically, the position of boys has been confusingly overshadowed. Why is that? We have enough activists for woke culture, trans people’s rights, and women’s rights. But where are the advocates for the boys?

If we don’t have the understanding to address the often-marginalized position of boys in society, we will reap its harvest for decades to come. It’s not right for society and especially for boys. That is not equality.