• Boys aren’t doing well in school these days. They’re less likely than girls to graduate from high school and college. The gender gap is especially wide for poor kids. Researchers are putting on their thinking caps to try to figure out why. One observed, “Boys particularly seem to benefit more from being in a married household or committed household—with the time, attention and income that brings.” Let’s unpack that. “Married household” or “committed household” really means a household with a father. So what he’s really saying is that fathers help boys thrive. For that wisdom we need ­social science?

  • Another researcher speculated that well-off parents spend more time with their kids and that it has a big payoff, especially for boys. The reporter glosses with exemplary political correctness, “For single parents, supporting their families on one income, that might be easier said than done.” The problem isn’t a lack of fathers. It’s that single parents don’t have sufficient time and money.
Continue reading the rest of this article
by subscribing
Subscribe now to access the rest of this article
Purchase this article for
only $1.99 Purchase