Pod Replay: Men, Masculinity & Connections
With Guest: Mark Greene (Original Airdate: May 1, 2024)
Polls are up! Polls are flat! Polls are down! Polls consume the news cycle during any election cycle, but they can be incredibly stressful. As Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey likes to say, “Get off the Poller-coaster!” But how can you when there are COUNTLESS Substacks, podcasts and articles about POLLS!
This week, a poll has been released that shows an absolutely mind blowing gender gap in the election. Of particular consideration for me, and those who work in US HigherEd is the data being shared by the Harvard Youth Poll that shows “A widening gender gap, nearly doubling from 17 points in the Spring poll to 30 points now, with Harris leading 70% to 23% among likely female voters.”
The topic of “men and masculinity” has been a centerpiece of campus discussions and programming for over a decade, but it appears that GenZ white men are feeling left out in this political landscape, fueling their interest in supporting former President Trump.
These polls and news coverage made me think back to the great conversation I had last year with author, Mark Greene whose expertise is “our dominance-based culture of masculinity.” These data points are disconcerting as we consider how our campuses thrive as community, when there is such an intense gender divide around politics, can our students actually find belonging or will they fester in isolation? This is a great episode and absolutely timely for this moment on our latest Poller-coaster ride.
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Dr. Laura De Veau is Principal & Founder of Fortify Associates, LLC. Fortify Associates, LLC is unique in the higher education, not-for-profit, and public service market. They provide comprehensive workshops, program reviews and project management services with a combination of in-person and virtual delivery. Fortify Associates is committed to creating experiences that are unique to the needs and culture of each of their clients. Dr. Laura De Veau is a Visiting Assistant Professor at Boston College’s Lynch School of Education & Human Development.