How to Solve the Education Crisis for Boys and Men | Richard Reeves | TED

譯者: 麗玲 辛 審譯者: 穎君 紀

In 1972,

1972 年，

the US passed a landmark piece of legislation.

美國通過了一項 具有里程碑意義的立法。

The new law was called Title IX,

這項法律被稱為第九條款，

and it expanded economic and educational opportunities for women,

它擴大了女性的經濟和教育機會，

especially in higher education.

尤其是在高等教育領域。

Back then, there was a 16-percentage-point gap

當時，在取得大學學位方面， 男性有 16 個百分點的優勢差距。

in the awarding of college degrees

in favor of men.

Within a decade,

十年之內，

women had caught up and then just blew right past the men.

女性迎頭趕上， 然後又一舉超越了男性。

Today, there's an 18-percentage-point gap in the awarding of college degrees.

如今，大學學位的授予 存在 18 個百分點的差距。

So there's a bigger gender gap today,

因此，與 50 年前 第九條款通過時相比，

in US higher education,

than there was 50 years ago when Title IX was passed.

現在美國高等教育中的性別差距更大，

It's just the other way around.

只是優劣完全翻轉。

I study inequality for a living,

我以從事不平等研究為生，

and for most of my career,

它佔據我大部分的職涯。

I focused on the divides of class and race.

我關注的是階級和種族之間的分歧。

But in recent years,

但近年來，

I've just been noticing more and more gender gaps

我注意到性別差距越來越大，

and not in the direction that I was expecting.

而且並非朝著我預期的方向發展。

Probably like most of you,

可能和大多數人一樣，

I’m used to thinking about gender equality

我習慣將性別平等及其目標

and the goal of gender equality as synonymous

同等於提高婦女和女孩地位。

with the advancement of women and girls.

But it's now clear that there are many boys and men

但很明顯地，現今 許多男孩和男人已經落後，

who've fallen behind

and that we have to be able to think about gender inequality

我們必須同時從兩個方向 考量性別不平等。

in both directions.

One thing that makes that hard is that the changes have been so quick,

這不容易，因為變化來得如此之快，

so rapid,

that it's hard to update our beliefs to match the new facts.

導致我們很難與時俱進，改變想法。

It's a bit like the needles on a compass swinging round.

這有點像指南針上突然變換方向，

Suddenly north is south and south is north.

北變成南，南變成北，

It's really quite disorienting.

令人感到暈頭轉向。

But it's clear that on some measures at least

但很明顯，至少在某些方面，

now men are lagging quite a way behind,

男性現在遠遠落後， 特別是在大學校園。

not least on college campuses.

And that reflects the fact that boys are trailing girls

這反映出男孩在整個教育體系中 落後於女孩的事實。

throughout the education system.

Two thirds of the top academic performers in high school,

以成績平均績點（GPA）來看，

高中學業表現最好的學生， 三分之二是女生。

measured by GPA, are girls.

And two thirds of those at the bottom are boys.

而後段的學生，男孩佔三分之二。

It's not just in the US.

這不只發生在美國。

If we look at the 20 most economically advanced countries in the world,

如果我們看看世界上 經濟最發達的 20 個國家，

there's on average a 13-percentage-point gap

平均而言，年輕男性和年輕女性 獲得大學學位的比例

in the share of young men and young women with a college degree,

存在 13 個百分點的差距，

with young women much more likely to have a college degree.

其中年輕女性擁有大學學位的 可能性要大得多。

And in some nations, the gap is much bigger.

在某些國家，這個差距更大。

In Norway, for example,

例如，在挪威，

there's almost a 20-point gap.

差距幾乎達到 20 個百分點。

And just like in the US,

跟美國一樣，

these differences at the college level

這些在大學階段的差異

reflect what's happening earlier in the school system.

反映了學校體制中早期的情況。

It used to be that maybe boys were ahead in math and science,

過去男孩可能在數學 和科學方面稍稍領先，

girls were ahead in reading and language in roughly equal measure.

女孩在閱讀和語言方面稍稍領先， 兩者差距大致相等。

That's not true today.

但現在情況不復如此。

Internationally, at the age of 15,

在國際上，15 歲時，

there's a five-point gap in favor of boys and math.

男孩在數學方面相對優勢 有五個百分點的差距。

There's essentially no gap in science,

在科學方面幾乎沒有差距，

a slight gap in favor of girls actually in science.

實際上在科學方面，女孩稍稍領先。

But boys are 30 points behind girls at the age of 15

但 15 歲時，男孩在閱讀 和語言技能方面

in reading and language skills.

落後女孩 30 個百分點。

But not all boys and men are struggling in the same way.

但並不是所有的男孩和男性 都面臨相同的困境。

The intersection of gender with class and race really matters here.

性別與階級和種族因素的交織 在這裡影響重大。

So boys from poorer households

因此，來自貧困家庭

and middle-class households,

和中產階級家庭的男孩

much less likely to attend college than girls from the same background.

比來自相同背景的女孩 上大學的可能性要小得多。

But there's a much smaller gap at the top of the economic ladder.

而在經濟階梯的頂端，差距就小得多。

I think one of the reasons

我認為，菁英們有時難以理解 男孩和男性困境的原因之一是，

that elites can sometimes struggle to grasp what's going on with boys and men

is that the gender gaps are just much less stark

富裕社區中的性別差距並不那麼明顯。

in affluent communities.

And the gender gaps are even more stark for Black Americans.

對於美國黑人來說，性別差距更為明顯。

For every Black man getting a college degree,

每一位獲得大學學位的黑人男性，

there are two Black women.

相對就有兩名黑人女性。

So anybody who really cares about boys and men

因此，任何真正關心男孩和男性的人

has to care about racial injustice and economic inequality.

都必須關注種族不公正和經濟不平等。

And anybody who really cares about racial injustice

任何真正關注種族不公正 和經濟不平等的人

and economic inequality

has to care about boys and men.

都必須關心男孩和男性。

Now, the fact that the education system doesn't seem to be working very well

現在，教育系統似乎對很多男孩 和男性來說效果不佳，

for lots of boys and men

is obviously not intentional.

這顯然不是故意如此。

There wasn't a feminist conspiracy 100 years ago

一百年前，女權主義並沒有陰謀說：

to say, "Well, it might take a century, but eventually we'll overtake them."

「好吧，這可能需要一個世紀， 但最終我們會超越他們。」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Especially as it was men who mostly designed the school system.

尤其，學校體系主要是由男性設計的。

What’s happened is that as the artificial and sexist barriers

事實是，隨著擋在婦女和女孩面前的

that were placed in front of women and girls

性別歧視的人為障礙逐漸被消除，

have been successively removed,

so their natural advantages in the classroom have been revealed.

她們在課堂上的天然優勢 也漸漸顯現出來。

Compared to girls,

與女孩相比，

boys face two big structural disadvantages in education.

男孩在教育上面臨兩大結構性劣勢。

First, their brains simply develop later.

首先，他們的大腦發育較晚。

The skills of planning, organization and impulse control

計劃、組織和衝動控制等技能

are associated with the prefrontal cortex,

與前額葉皮質有關，

which develops in adolescence especially.

而這部分特別是在青春期發育，

But about a year later, on average, for boys than for girls.

但男孩的發育比女孩平均晚約一年。

So there's a significant difference there in the timing of brain development.

因此，大腦發育的時間有顯著的差異。

Social scientists refer to those skills, planning, organization, etcetera,

社會科學家將計劃、組織等技能

as non-cognitive skills.

稱為非認知技能。

I like to think of them as "chemistry homework" skills.

我喜歡把它們稱為「化學功課」技能。

You know, doing your chemistry homework requires a lot of steps.

要完成化學功課有很多步驟。

You have to be paying attention in class when the assignment is given.

在老師派發作業時，你必須專心聽講。

You have to make a note of it.

你得把作業記下來。

You have to remember hours later that you're supposed to do it.

幾個小時後，你還要記得 你應該做這個作業。

You have to actually sit down and do it,

你必須實際坐下來去做，

instead of something more enticing instead.

而不是去做一些更好玩的事。

And remember, it's chemistry homework, so that's everything.

請記住，這是化學作業， 所以包羅萬象。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Sorry, I know there are some chemists here, I'm sorry.

對不起，我知道這裡 有些化學家，對不起。

And then turn it in.

然後，要把作業交出去。

That's a lot of steps, right?

步驟很多，對吧？

That's a lot.

好多啊。

Getting your homework done requires your impulse control

完成功課需要你控制好自己的衝動，

to match what psychologists refer to as sensation seeking.

以對抗心理學家所說的 「感官刺激尋求」，

Basically, that urge to go and do something more fun, more exciting.

那種想去做更有趣、刺激的事的衝動。

And even in the most difficult years of adolescence,

即使在青春期最煎熬的歲月，

which are also the crucial years for educational success,

也是學業成功至關重要的歲月，

girls have a reasonable balance between impulse control and sensation seeking.

女孩在衝動控制和尋求感官刺激之間 保持了合理的平衡。

But it's a very different story for adolescent boys.

但對於青春期男孩來說， 情況卻截然不同。

They have higher levels of sensation seeking.

他們更渴望感官刺激。

And with that less developed prefrontal cortex,

而且由於前額葉皮質發育不完全，

they have significantly lower levels of impulse control.

他們的衝動控制能力明顯較低。

Again, on average.

再次強調，這是平均而言。

Now if you still don't believe me,

如果你還不相信我，

go into any ninth or 10th grade classroom

就去任何一個國三或高一的教室，

and ask all the students to open up their backpacks.

請所有學生打開他們的書包。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Most, many, at least of the girls, will have pretty carefully organized,

多數的女孩會有整齊有序、

nicely labeled binders.

標記清晰的文件夾。

And for many, if not most of the boys,

而對於許多男孩來說， 就算不是大多數，

it will resemble a small, controlled explosion.

他們的書包就像一場小型受控爆炸。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

It's not that girls are smarter than boys.

並不是說女孩比男孩聰明。

There's no gender gap in intelligence levels

在智商方面， 男女之間沒有性別差距。

in either direction.

It is just that girls develop more of these non-cognitive skills,

只是女孩比男孩稍早一些 發展這些非認知技能，

these "chemistry homework" skills,

這些「化學功課」技能。

somewhat earlier than boys do.

That's just a fact.

這是事實。

But it is a fact that we ignore in education policy.

但在教育政策中， 我們忽視了這個事實。

The second big structural problem that boys face in the classroom

男孩在課堂上面臨的 第二大結構性問題是缺乏男教師。

is the lack of male teachers.

After falling for decades,

美國國小到高中男性教師的佔比 已持續減少好幾十年，

the share of K-12 teachers who are male in the US is now just 23 percent.

現在只有 23%，

And falling.

且還在下降。

And the lack of male teachers matters for at least three reasons.

男性教師的缺乏 至少在三個方面有重大影響，

First, for many children, [they] can be an important male role model,

首先，對於許多孩子來說， 男性教師能成為重要的男性榜樣，

especially if they don't have one at home.

特別是家中沒有男性榜樣的孩子。

And second, male teachers appear to be more sensitive

其次，男教師似乎對男孩在課堂上 面臨的具體挑戰較為敏感。

to the specific challenges of boys in the classroom.

I can vividly remember my own experience.

我對自己的經歷記憶猶新。

I can actually still feel what it was like to sit for what felt like hours on end

事實上，我仍能體會連續幾個小時

坐在一把極硬的塑膠椅子上的感覺，

on an incredibly hard plastic chair,

and that it was actually a male primary school teacher, Mr. Cole,

還好是一位男性小學教師科爾先生

who gave us more opportunities to move around,

給了我們更多的機會走動，

made the lessons a little bit more interactive.

讓課程更具互動性。

And the third reason male teachers may matter

男老師很重要的第三個原因是

is there's some evidence that,

有些證據顯示，

especially in subjects like English,

特別是在英語等 男孩們遠遠落後的科目上，

which is where the boys have fallen so far behind,

having a male teacher seems to dispel the idea

男性教師似乎能消除

that reading and writing just aren't for me or for people like me.

「閱讀和寫作只適合其他人， 不適合我們」的觀念，

In a similar way to how having a female teacher

就像女性教師在 STEM 科目上 （科學、科技、工程、數學）

has historically helped girls in STEM subjects.

對女孩的幫助。

Right now, in too many of our schools,

現在，在太多的學校裡，

our boys feel like square pegs being forced into round holes.

男孩感覺就像方釘 被強行塞進圓孔，格格不入。

And too often our response is to try and fix the boys

而我們的反應往往是試圖矯正男孩

rather than fix the schools.

而不是修正學校。

The problems of boys are turned into problems with boys.

男孩的困境讓男孩變成了問題學生。

If they struggle to sit still or pay attention

如果他們難以安靜坐好、聽課

or apply themselves to a task,

或專注於任務，

they may be diagnosed with some kind of disability.

他們就可能被診斷有某種障礙。

Their problems are thus medicalized and often medicated.

因此，男孩成為醫療問題， 且大多接受藥物治療。

In the US today, 23 percent of school-age boys

如今，在美國，23% 的學齡男孩

have been diagnosed with some form of developmental disability.

被診斷出某種發展障礙，

Twice the rate for girls.

是女孩的兩倍。

ADHD, as you might expect, is the most common.

如你所料，注意力不足過動症 （ADHD）是最常見的一種。

But really,

但實際上，

when one in four of our boys has a developmental disability,

當我了解到四分之一的男孩有發展障礙，

it seems clear to me that it is the system which is disabling

我認為，明顯是系統使他們失去能力，

rather than the boys who are disabled.

而不是男孩本身有問題。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Now, there's a lot we can do

現在，我們可以做很多事情，

to make the education system work better for boys.

使教育體系更能幫助男孩。

Let's start with those two big problems,

讓我們從這兩個主要問題著手：

of later brain development and lack of male teachers.

大腦發育較晚和男性教師短缺。

So first, we should start boys in school a year later.

首先，我們應該讓男孩晚一年入學。

And the idea there is to level the playing field,

我們要考慮到 大腦發育時間的差異，

given those differences in the timing of brain development.

並且創造公平的競爭環境。

And actually that's already quite common practice

其實在私立學校和許多富裕社區， 這已經是相當普遍的做法，

at private schools and in lots of affluent communities,

but it's actually not the boys from rich families

但從這額外一年中真正受益最多的 並不是來自富裕家庭的男孩，

who will benefit the most from that extra year.

It's the boys from lower-income,

而是來自低收入、 貧困社區和家庭的男孩，

poorer neighborhoods and families

who would most benefit from the gift of extra time for development.

他們最需要額外的發展時間。

And that's why I think this should be a question of public policy.

這就是為什麼我認為 這應該當公共政策來看待。

Second, we need to recruit hundreds of thousands more male teachers,

其次，我們需要招募數十萬名男教師，

especially in subjects like English,

特別是在英語等

where the boys are struggling so much

男孩們覺得棘手的科目，

and which is the subject men are least likely to be teaching.

同時也是男性最不可能教授的科目。

And here I think we can draw some really good lessons

我認為我們可以從成功的運動中 吸取一些非常好的經驗，

from the successful movement

to get more women and girls interested in STEM subjects.

像是對女性的 STEM 推廣運動。

So that means setting clear targets, launching public campaigns

我們可以設定明確的目標， 啟動公開宣傳活動，

and offering financial scholarships

並為希望從事教職的男性提供獎學金。

to men who want to enter teaching as a profession.

Of course, those are changes that will take time.

當然，這些改變需要時間，

Those are long-term changes.

這是長期的變革。

And there are millions of boys and men who are struggling right now.

數以百萬計的男孩和男性 目前正面臨困境。

And so if you're a parent or a teacher working with a boy or a young man

所以，如果你是家長或教師， 正在幫助一位遇到困難的男孩或青年，

who's in difficulty right now,

my message to you is, first,

我給你的建議是，

be careful not to even inadvertently judge him against a female standard

首先，小心，不要無意中 根據女性標準來評判他，

or blame him if he's struggling in a system

如果他在可能不適合他的體系中 苦苦掙扎，別責怪他，

that just might not be working very well for him.

Recognize and respect the ways in which he's different.

了解並尊重他的不同之處。

Don't say,

不要說：

"Why can't you be more like your sister?"

「你怎麼不多學學你姐姐？」

Try not to even think that.

盡量不要這麼想。

It's very important that we don't treat our boys

非常重要的是，不要把男孩 當作有問題的女孩一樣對待。

as if they were malfunctioning girls.

And the second message to those people, cousins, parents, neighbors, friends,

第二點，對於那些目前 正與遇到困難的男孩或青年

uncles, coaches, anybody working with a boy or a young man

一起工作的親戚、家長、鄰居、 朋友、叔叔、教練等人，

who is struggling right now, is simply, thank you.

我要說，謝謝你們。

Thank you.

謝謝你。

They do need you.

他們確實需要你。

Of course,

當然，

doing more for boys and men

給男孩和男性更多的幫助

doesn't mean doing any less for women and girls.

不代表給女性和女孩少一點的幫助。

That’s like saying to the parent of a son and daughter:

這就好比對有兒子和女兒的父母說：

"You're only allowed to care about one of them."

「你只能關心他們其中一個。」

And it's the kind of zero-sum thinking

這種零和思維方式

that is doing so much damage to our politics and to our culture.

對我們的政治和文化 造成了很大的損害。

We can think two thoughts at once.

我們可以同時思考兩種想法。

We can do two things at once.

我們可以同時做兩件事。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Two thoughts at once, two things at once.

同時思考兩個想法，同時做兩件事。

That's why Norway,

這就是為什麼挪威，

a country that's made huge investments,

為女性和女孩正確地 做出大筆投資的國家，

quite rightly for women and girls,

but where boys and men have now fallen behind on many measures,

因男孩和男性在許多方面都落後，

has launched a commission for boys and men.

已經成立了一個 關注男孩和男性的委員會。

I've talked about education today,

今天我談到了教育，

but there are many other areas where many boys and men are struggling,

但許多男孩和男性 在其他領域也遇到種種困難，

including in mental health, including suicide risk.

像是心理健康、自殺風險、

Loneliness and belonging,

孤獨和歸屬感、

family life, employment.

家庭生活和就業等等。

And I don't think we can afford to get this wrong.

我認為我們承擔不起這樣的錯誤。

If there are real problems in a society,

如果社會存在真正的問題，

and responsible people don't acknowledge and address them,

該負責的人卻不承認和解決這些問題，

irresponsible people will exploit them.

不負責任的人就會利用這些問題。

And that is already happening on this issue,

這些情況已經在網路和選舉上發生了。

both online and at the ballot box.

We cannot leave a vacuum by neglecting this issue.

我們不能忽視這個議題，留下死角。

The future cannot be female.

未來不能只屬於女性，

Nor, of course, can the future be male.

當然，也不能只屬於男性。

The future has to be for every single one of us, every boy and girl,

未來必須屬於我們每個人， 每個男孩和女孩，

we have to rise together.

我們必須共同進步。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

(Applause ends)

（掌聲結束）

Chris Anderson: Thank you, Richard.

克里斯·安德森：非常感謝，理查德。

I've got a question for you.

我有個問題要問你。

Come this way.

請過來這邊。

So you gave great advice there for the system as a whole,

你剛剛給整個體系、 教師和家長們很好的建議，

for teachers, for parents.

But suppose you're a 14-year-old boy listening to this talk.

假設你是個 14 歲男孩， 聽這個演講，

What would you say to him?

你會對他說什麼？

Richard Reeves: Huh.

理查德·里夫斯：嗯，

Well, the first thing I’d say is that if you are struggling at school

首先，我會說，如果你在學校 或生活的某些方面遇到困難，

or in some aspects of your life,

that's almost certainly not just your fault.

那幾乎完全不是你的錯。

可能是該系統不適合你。

It may be that the system is just not working for you.

The second thing I would say is ...

第二件事我會說，

We see you.

我們理解你。

We've got you.

我們會幫你。

We understand, we've got your back.

我們明白，我們支持你。

And the third thing I would say is, don't follow the people

第三件事我會說，不要聽信某些人

who say that the reason you're struggling is because women are flourishing.

說你之所以遇到困難 就是因為女性蓬勃發展，

Or because of feminism.

或因為女性主義、社會的變化。

Or because of changes in society.

That we somehow have to,

說，為了要提升男孩表現，

in order to lift boys up,

we have to somehow push women and girls back down again.

就得打壓女性和女孩。

Don't fall for that.

不要上這個當。

Understand that we get that you're struggling,

請你了解，我們知道你有困難，

but don't turn this into zero-sum.

但不要把這問題變成零和遊戲。

Don't turn to some of the darker corners of the internet where unfortunately,

不要轉向網路世界的某些黑暗角落，

不幸的是，那是許多男孩 接收訊息的地方。

that is the message many of our boys are getting.

But the first part that's really important,

第一點非常重要，

that whole conversation that we had about belonging,

我們關於歸屬感的整個對話，

the wonderful difference in belonging,

歸屬感的奇妙差異在於

if our boys don't feel that they belong,

如果我們的孩子感覺不到歸屬感，

that we've got them, that we see them,

感覺不到我們的支持與理解，

they're going to be much more vulnerable to those voices.

他們就更容易受到這些聲音的影響。

So don't listen to those voices, but we need them to listen to us instead.

所以不要聽信那些聲音， 而是我們需要他們聽我們的聲音。

克里斯・安德森：非常感謝你。

CA: Thank you so much.

(Applause)

（掌聲）