Millions of men in the prime of their lives, between 30 and 55 -have dropped out of regular work. They are turning down jobs they think beneath them or are unable to find work for which they are qualified. About 13 percent of American men in this age group are not working, up from 5 percent in the late 1960's. Most of these missing men are former blue-collar workers with no more than a high school education. But their ranks are growing at all education and income levels. It is a significant cultural shift from three decades ago, when men almost invariably went back into the work force after losing a job and were more often able to find a new one that met their needs. The missing men are also more likely to live alone. Nearly 60 percent are divorced, separated, widowed or never married, up from 50 percent a decade earlier...
Story here.
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Ed. note: This also printed (surprisingly) in the NYTimes today here.
