Men are a serious problem for Democrats—and for our hopes of building a more progressive America. That’s not a shocking revelation. The gender gap between men and women has been widening election after election.

So what are we going to do about it?

In 2024, President Donald Trump beat Vice President Kamala Harris among men by 12 points, 55-43, while losing among women by 8 points, 45-53. He won among married men by a staggering 60-38, and he even won among Latino men by 10 points, 54-44. And while only 21% of Black men voted for Trump, that’s a world away from the 92-7 margin Black women gave Harris.

Most alarming? Trump won men aged 18-29, 49-48, while young women in the same age bracket backed Harris 61-38.

We have a problem.

A must-read article in The Economist dug into this global phenomenon. In Poland, rural men used to count on marrying women who’d handle domestic duties. But those women are moving to cities like Warsaw to become lawyers and professionals. That “loss of status” has fueled support for right-wing nationalist parties, making feminism the enemy and “traditional values” the solution.

It’s the same story in the United Kingdom, South Korea, China—pretty much everywhere. 

What is going on? The most likely causes of this growing division are education (young men are getting less of it than young women), experience (advanced countries have become less sexist, and men and women experience this differently) and echo chambers (social media aggravate polarisation). Also, in democracies, many politicians on the right are deftly stoking young male grievances, while many on the left barely acknowledge that young men have real problems.

Let that sink in: Many on the left barely acknowledge young men have real problems.

We can cite toxic masculinity and the many challenges women face in a patriarchal society—and we’d be right. But what good is that if we keep losing elections to Trump and his reactionary cabal?

A new study by Equimundo, an organization working to engage young men as allies for gender equality, explores the alienation American men are feeling and the very real threat that poses to our democracy.

“The intersection of economic precarity and masculinity creates a complex terrain where traditional notions of male identity—being a provider—confront increasingly unstable economic realities,” the report says.

That anxiety feeds support for authoritarianism, worsens mental health, and reinforces restrictive ideas of manhood. 

In other words, when men can’t fulfill what society says is their primary role as provider, it cuts to the core of their identity. And that opens the door to despair, rage, and right-wing strongman fantasies.

Some findings from the report:

• 75% of men say it’s harder for their generation to feel financially secure than their father’s

• More than half of men believe that home ownership is out of reach

• Half of men say that the only way to be successful is to be born into wealth

Women face all of these same challenges, but they’re not weighed down by the same cultural expectation to be “the provider,” which makes the mental toll on men—especially around self-worth, suicide risk, and parenting stress—distinctly intense.

Add to that fast-growing “Man Box” notion of masculinity built around stoicism, dominance, and self-reliance. 

“The confluence of these factors – economic precarity undermining traditional provider expectations, restrictive masculine norms preventing help-seeking behavior, and systemic inequities compounding stress for marginalized men – creates what can only be described as a perfect storm for masculine mental health crisis,” the report states. “Without deliberate intervention to redefine masculine success beyond economic provision and to challenge the Man Box’s emotional restrictions, we risk losing an entire generation of men to depression, anxiety, and despair.”

Without urgent action to redefine masculinity beyond economic provision, we risk losing an entire generation of men to depression, anxiety, and political nihilism.

And yes, we’re going backward: In 2017, just 34% of men believed that a man should have the final say in a relationship. Now it’s up to 42%. Similarly, 29% believed that a gay man isn’t a “real man,” while now 38% do.

Even more concerning? Black and Latino men are the most likely to support these “Man Box” ideas, explaining Trump’s big gains among those voters last year. 

Social media only pours gasoline on the fire. Scrolling through feeds full of steroid-pumped fitness gurus and red-pilled influencers, 63% of men say they wish they were more masculine. Gen Z men are the most likely to feel inadequate—and the most likely to fall under the sway of reactionary influencers offering them purpose and identity. And when those influencers—say, Joe Rogan—tell them to vote fascist, they listen.

This becomes a vicious cycle. Young men feel unmoored, unvalued, and unwanted, so they look for control. That leads to nihilism and authoritarianism. A stunning 57% of men (and 51% of women) say that they’d prefer a strong leader who doesn’t bother with elections. Another 39% of men say that voting doesn’t matter.

That’s how Trump wins. And when he’s gone, someone worse will be waiting in the wings ready to take advantage of these young men.

“Men who endorse manosphere beliefs that they are exposed to online are three times as likely to endorse strongman politics,” the Equimundo report says.

And it’s no surprise: Those “Man Box” traits—stoicism, dominance, self-reliance—are the opposite of what progressivism offers: collaboration, empathy, and community. The more men feel trapped in this toxic Man Box masculinity, the more they drift toward fascism.

But here’s the glimmer of hope: Men want to be caregivers.

• 87% support subsidized child care

• 85% back a four-day workweek

• 84% want financial support for family caregivers

• 83% support paid leave for childcare

These men aren’t unreachable. They’re looking for purpose and connection.

“It’s easy to read this study and panic,” the report states. “Yet there are many glimmers of hope… This is the time to promote a caring version of manhood—one that values healthy connection, men’s mental health, and a shared agenda with women and girls.”

Trump’s unprecedented assault on U.S. institutions led many of us to reflexively defend them. But let’s be honest: Those same institutions—government, media, corporations—aren’t working for most Americans. The economic divide has become a chasm. The gap between those who can shop without checking prices and those who can’t isn’t just financial—it’s political.

We were quick to write off toxic men as a fringe problem, but clearly they’re not fringe. They’re growing in number, and their despair is being weaponized.

Maybe the lesson here is that everyone—men included—is overwhelmed by the seismic shifts of this era. And if we want to win, we need to extend the same compassion and understanding to these men that we rightly extend to marginalized groups.

The enemy isn’t young men trying to find their place; it’s those manipulating their pain into hate.

Let’s be smarter, and more empathetic, about how we fight back.