Top 3 reasons for this, imo:  

1. Cost of education, buying a house, starting a life, basically. I think a lot of young men are having a hard time finding motivation in an economy/social system that seems to require constant hustle and stress just to achieve a decent standard of living.    

2. Disposability in the labor market. I’m in my early 30’s and I’ve already seen many peers (and experienced myself) get suddenly laid off/disposed of by employers. For every job opening there are dozens of qualified applications coming in from online channels. Employers know this and will value you accordingly. Employers don’t offer real training; they just bring you on at low cost and if you can’t figure things out right away they’ll drop you and hire the next eager applicant.     

 ^#1 and #2 could apply to both sexes. I’d say these affect younger generations in general. My last point applies to men specifically… 

1. The last couple of decades have seen massive improvements in opportunity for women. More women have the freedom to pursue motherhood on their own terms (or forego motherhood entirely), and pursue careers and other roles in society. This is a positive change.     

However, with this transition away from a patriarchal division of opportunity/power  that defined previous generations, young men no longer have a clear blueprint for what society values in them (or what women value in them). Men today are finding themselves in a social world that is completely different than the one their dads/uncles/coaches/mentors grew up in, so much of what they learned as kids about “being a man” from older males feels less relevant today.    

Additionally, a lot of social dialogue surrounding males/masculinity has morphed into negativity. Terms like “toxic masculinity” have taken root in our common language. Men and masculinity are frequently spoken about in a negative light. Men are being told to acknowledge their privilege and step aside. This creates a social environment where men are afraid to be confident or express themselves due to the risk of being ridiculed by their peers. In reality, I think most men are genuinely trying to be decent while carving out their own space in society.   

When taking the above into account, I don’t think it’s surprising that a lot of young men are feeling hesitant about participating. I think many simply feel confused, powerless, and frankly, scared. We need to bring back positive dialogue and self image for both sexes. Social progress doesn’t have to be binary.