Givers, Doers, & Thinkers—A Podcast on Philanthropy and Civil Society · Jeremy Beer

Wendy Wang & the collapse of the modern marriage market

·38 min·2 clips

Wendy Wang ties falling wages and joblessness to the “death of despair” among young men.

1. Givers, Doers, & Thinkers with Wendy Wang centers on marriage, jobs, motherhood, and AI in America as the country approaches the semi-quincentennial. 2. Jeremy Beer hosts the May 2, 2025 conversation, and Wendy Wang is Director of Research at the Institute for Family Studies and a repeat guest on the show. 3. The episode asks whether weak jobs, changing family norms, and AI are reshaping how Americans form marriages and raise children. 4. The discussion starts with an Institute for Family Studies report titled “good jobs and strong families,” which focuses on working-class men. 5. Wang cites a finding that real wages for working-class men, defined as men with high school diplomas or less, fell 11% from 1979 to 2019. 6. She contrasts that decline with rising wages for working-class women over the same period and says the economy shifted from manufacturing to service and information work. 7. Wang says the wage shift affects marriage because young women still say they want a spouse with a stable job. 8. She gives 2021 marriage figures showing 60% of college-educated men ages 25 to 54 are married, compared with 44% of working-class men in the same age range. 9. Wang notes that before 1980, working-class men were more likely than college-educated men to be married and have children. 10. She argues that jobs matter not just for income but for male identity, schedule, and participation in civil society and church life. 11. Wang says men want to be providers and that lacking that role can lead them to withdraw from civic activity and religious attendance. 12. Jeremy raises the unemployment rate as a weak measure, and Wang points to young men who are not even looking for work. 13. She connects that disengagement to higher rates of suicide, mental health problems, alcoholism, and drugs among young men. 14. On tariffs, Wang says reshoring manufacturing jobs could help if it creates decent-paying work for men and supports family formation. 15. She says mothers often prefer part-time work or staying home rather than full-time employment, based on survey patterns she has seen repeatedly. 16. Wang’s current motherhood research uses the General Social Survey and finds married mothers are the happiest of four female groups. 17. She says mothers report being exhausted and short on personal time, but also more likely to call life meaningful, rewarding, and less lonely. 18. The interview stays conversational and data-driven, with Jeremy pressing for practical implications and Wang answering in a measured research tone. 19. Listeners interested in family policy, demography, religion, and male employment will get the most from this episode. 20. Listeners focused on entertainment, personal memoir, or light banter may skip it.

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Givers, Doers, & Thinkers—A Podcast on Philanthropy and Civil Society