????越來越多的學者們，不論左派、右派還是中間派，都認為美國中等收入男性處境窘迫。

????美國男性的收入已連續三十年持續減少。早在金融危機之前，處在黃金年齡的男性便一個接一個地早早退出職場，如今這一問題更是愈發嚴重。而與此同時，在21世紀全球經濟最為重要的教育領域，女性從業者也遠遠超過了男性。

????我們最大的疑問仍然是——為什么？針對這個問題，目前尚沒有足夠多的調查。筆者在4月29日《財富》雜志（Fortune）上曾發表過一篇專欄文章——《美國任性的兒子們：他們為何半途而廢》（America's Wayward Sons: Why They Can't Carry On）。讀者們對這篇文章的反饋或許能為我們提供一些符合實際的寶貴觀點。

????那篇專欄文章的焦點是麻省理工學院（MIT）的一項研究。研究顯示，單親家庭的急劇增加對男孩造成的傷害要遠遠大于女孩。也有學者認為，現在獲得政府救助的難度降低，導致救助金比工資更具吸引力。收入豐厚的制造業崗位的減少、科技日新月異的變化等也作為影響因素被考慮在內。

????以下為讀者們根據其親身經歷所發表的意見：

????父親不辭而別。讀者對麻省理工學院的研究結論達成了廣泛共識，即單親父母的出現影響了孩子所能達到的成就水平。亞當?C?杜德利寫道：“我父親是個不起眼的白領罪犯，在判決之前就逃離了這個國家，當時我才只有幾個月大。如今，雖然我已經過了而立之年，但我還是得與懶惰、認同感等問題作斗爭。我一直想努力弄明白我是誰，或者我想要成為什么樣的男人，以及我本應該成為什么樣的男人……將來，我或許只能靠假設大多數年輕男子都不如我積極來安慰自己了。”

????賈森?德塞納?特恩納特寫道：“對于崇拜電影明星或體育明星的人來說，這樣的經歷看起來非常刺激。然而在真實生活中，在這樣的家庭里，孩子們注定不得不生活在情感和物質雙重匱乏的狀態中。這對于我們國家來說是一個亟待解決的危機。早在1965年，莫伊尼漢議員就曾在非洲裔美國人社區真誠地討論過這個問題。可悲的是，單親家庭現象正變得越來越嚴重。”

????孤獨癥與注意力缺陷多動障礙（ADHD）癥增加。米歇爾?林恩寫道：“很可惜，現在只是一群社會科學家和心理學家在進行爭論。他們會急于把責任歸因于模糊的社會趨勢問題（全球化、制造業衰落等），當然還有單親媽媽和缺乏男性榜樣等。但我認為，大家不妨考慮一下，（真正的）生物科學在這個令人擔憂的問題上可能發揮什么樣的作用。許多報道顯示，1988年以來出生的那一代，是有記錄以來健康狀況最差的一代。過去二十年間，患注意力缺陷多動障礙癥、哮喘、孤獨癥、躁郁癥、糖尿病和過敏癥的人數急劇增加。2012年，據疾病控制中心（Centers for Disease Control）公布，每五個孩子里就有一個患有行為障礙或慢性疾病。”

????她接著寫道：“眾所周知，男孩患神經系統疾病的幾率要高于女孩（男孩患孤獨癥的幾率是女孩的五倍。）有沒有可能正是這些中樞神經系統疾病在影響著我們的經濟？把高達20%的年輕人喪失了發展潛力歸因于社會觀念和心理學上的胡說八道當然是一件很容易的事。”

????There is a growing consensus among scholars on the right, left, and center that the state of median-income men in America is in distress.

????They've endured a three-decade drop in earnings. Even before the financial crash, prime-age men were dropping out of the workforce altogether, and the problem has only worsened since. Meanwhile, women are far outstripping their male counterparts in the area that's most important for a 21st century global economy -- education.

????The big question remains -- why? On this, the research still falls short. So the outpouring of reader feedback on my column in the April 29 issue of Fortune -- "America's Wayward Sons: Why They Can't Carry On" -- offers some valuable on-the-ground perspective.

????The focus of that column was an MIT study showing the sharp rise in single-parent households hurts boys more than girls. Other scholars have blamed a rise in more readily available government assistance, making aid checks more appealing than paychecks. The decline of well-paying manufacturing jobs, combined with fast-paced technological change, also factors in.

????Here's what readers, reporting on what they see in their own backyards, had to say:

????Flight of fathers. There was broad agreement with the MIT study's conclusion that the rise of single-parenting has set back achievement levels. "My father was a small-time white-collar criminal that fled the country prior to a court date when I was just a few months old," Adam C. Dudly writes. "Even now, in my 30s, I struggle with laziness, sense of identity issues, figuring out who I am or what I want to be, and what kind of man I'm supposed to be ... I would have to assume most young men are not as proactive as I am."

????"While this may seem glamorous for those who admire movie stars and athletes, such family arrangements in the real world often doom children to lead lives of emotional and material privation," writes Jason DeSena Trennart. "It is a clear and present danger to the fabric of our republic. Senator Moynihan spoke honestly about this problem in the African American community as long ago as 1965. Sadly, the phenomenon of single-parent households has only grown."

????A rise in autism and ADHD. "Unfortunately, the current debate is being waged by social scientists and psychologists who are quick to blame the issue on vague societal trends (globalization, decline in manufacturing) and of course, single mothers and the lack of a male role model," writes Michelle Linn. "I suggest you consider exploring how biological (real) science may be playing a role in this alarming issue. The generation of children born since 1988 are by many accounts the unhealthiest on record. The rates of ADHD, asthma, autism, bipolar disorder, diabetes, and allergies have skyrocketed in the last two decades. In 2012, the Centers for Disease Control published a rate of 1 in 5 children having a behavioral disorder or chronic disease.

????"It is well known that neurological disorders affect boys more frequently than girls (for autism, the rate is fivefold)," she continues. "Could it be these illnesses and diseases of the central nervous system are actually affecting our economy? It is very easy to blame the lost potential of up to 20% of our youth on social stereotypes and psychology 101 blithering."