A look at two faces of a millennial male

A glance at the millennial guy reveals a well-groomed individual with an aura of confidence. He embodies a refined business and social etiquette and appears well-grounded in life matters.

A keen eye may notice a vulnerable millennial male attempting to be a man and hoping to exude enough of those desired masculine traits.

A tete a tete will reveal real and deep frustrations and worries about a nebulous present and a future that requires life skills obtained in specific and deliberately planned circumstances and activities now rare in the contemporary life setting.

He is a despondent millennial who is aware that society expects him to pick himself up and deal with the myriad challenges as a man.

His current state has in part, and perhaps rightly so, attributed to the neglect of the boy child when attention shifted to the empowerment of the girl child. However, the visible gap between the current cohort of male and female children in their ability to navigate life could also be linked to the fact that girls are taught to mature earlier than boys.

Consequently, unlike the independent millennial woman who has confidently embraced and appreciated many aspects of womanhood, and is currently journeying towards the ultimate prize of self-discovery, the millennial guy of equivalent age has to first find himself by identifying the type of masculinity that works.

Traditional masculinity requires men to embrace stoicism, dominance, aggression, and competitiveness. This does not augur well with society today. It is strongly shunned by the female millennial, is repulsive, and has proved toxic in the workplace and in the home.

Workplace policies promote equity and abhor any form of harassment or abuse of power. The young, rigidly masculine leader will appear tough, controlling, and will abuse power. He will often find it challenging to earn respect as a leader in a business setting.

When occurring at an institutional level, the outcome is non-progressive entities devoid of the foresight to appreciate and respond appropriately to the dynamic business environment.

Traditional masculinity has also failed miserably in the home. The more men cling to the rigid views and actions of this masculinity, the more likely they are to be depressed, disdainful or lonely – because it does not make sense to the millennial woman. Hence the perpetual fights, the increasing number of homicides, suicides, and murders.

Society has a big role in molding the millennial male. The man-child we often see can be transformed to a responsible man worthy of respect and honour. We will emphasize that toxic masculinity is “toxic” while inculcating in him positive masculinity, showing him the way to embrace manhood and fatherhood through self-discovery.