Scandal File: Let’s Hear It For the Boys

IN recent weeks, a long-neglected question has received front-page notice: Are boys being hurt by an inhospitable culture? After decades of “gender studies” depicting the woeful condition of young girls, researchers have now stumbled upon an obvious truth: it’s a tough time to be a boy.

The evidence that many young boys are in trouble is overwhelming. Boys are more likely than girls to be diagnosed as learning disabled, to be held back in school, to be suspended or fail to graduate. The majority of college students are women, as are the majority of all graduate and professional students. Department of Education studies find that female students have higher self-esteem and loftier educational ambitions than male classmates.