Growing up, almost every adolescent is asked the innocent question that seeks to engage their imagination and open them up to a world of possibilities: “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
In the 1960s, the space race sparked a “collective desire” to discover the “limitless possibilities beyond our planet” according to Brilliantio, which recalled the most popular “dream jobs” of the innovative epoch. The “competitive atmosphere,” resulting from the U.S. and Soviet race to the moon, “inspired many young individuals to consider careers in various fields related to space exploration, such as engineering, physics, and astronomy.” During this decade, universities began offering computer programming courses, and several programming languages were developed during this period that are still in use today.
During both World Wars, women entered the workforce and took on traditionally masculine roles, such as munitions and factory assembly line jobs to transportation and communications. 100 years ago, the most popular professions included dairy farmers, retail and store clerks, toolmakers, metalworkers, and carpenters.
American men and women have historically been career risk-takers and innovators, driven by the desire to create a better future for themselves, their family, and their country. Unfortunately for all Americans, today’s young adults are more risk-averse than ever and seem to be choosing stability and predictability over dreaming big. Statistica recently shared a poll conducted by YouGov highlighting the most popular “dream jobs” among young teenagers in the U.S. — the results were not exactly what they were in the 60s.
Most young girls said that being a doctor or nurse (13%) would be their dream job, while others said that they would want to be an actress (11%), musician (9%) artist (7%), or a YouTube streamer (6%). The answers provided by young males weren’t too different. Many said that they would want to be a professional athlete (12%), a YouTube streamer (11%), a musician (6%), or a professional gamer (6%). Just 5% said that becoming a doctor or nurse would be their dream job.
The polling found that teenage boys in the U.S. would rather be “professional gamers” than take on more masculine and ambitious roles such as firefighters, police officers, or even astronauts. According to the survey from 2021, of the 3,670 U.S. teens aged 13 – 17 who were polled, just 3% dreamt of being a lawyer, member of the armed forces, or scientist. For reference, the five most common jobs in 2023 are cashiers, food preparation workers, warehouse stocking associates, laborers, and janitors.
These very particular Gen Z ambitions wouldn’t necessarily be a concern if the labor market weren’t expecting to be severely lacking in skilled tradesmen. The Conference Board released a report documenting which sectors are anticipating labor shortages in the coming years, with “construction, installation, maintenance, and repair occupations” being the first to sound the alarm.
“In most of these occupations the average age is older, and expected retirements far exceed expected entrants to the field,” the report explained, adding that the “number of working-age people with a bachelor’s degree increases at approximately 2 percent annually, while the number without a bachelor’s degree and willing to work in manual labor or manual services jobs is shrinking.”
These jobs are, most commonly, filled by young men, who have a strong work ethic (think: Mike Rowe and “Dirty Jobs”). The problem is — the number of males to whom those broad qualifications apply is rapidly shrinking, evidenced by a majority of young men’s desires to become YouTube or Twitch gamers, rather than take on a more intellectually stimulating or physically challenging task.
Simply put, the feminist fight against what they deem “toxic masculinity” will inevitably lead to a labor shortage crisis, and it will be largely due to men being encouraged to abandon their masculine traits in exchange for femininity.
Join Turning Point USA’s at AmericaFest on December 16-19 in Phoenix, Arizona, where we’ll be celebrating traditional gender roles and encouraging men to be leaders in the home and in America!
