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Men In America

All Things Considered explores what it means to be a man in America today.
Mountains of "little blue pills" and their chemical kin have transformed the way many people think about sex and aging.

Mountains of "little blue pills" and their chemical kin have transformed the way many people think about sex and aging. Raphael Gaillarde/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Raphael Gaillarde/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images

Shots - Health News

Love And Sex In The Time Of Viagra — 16 Years On

Longer lives means more decades of intimacy. Drugs that help male physiology match desire have affected more than just the body, men who take these pills say.

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Dale Conour with his son Quinn, 2. Conour's two children from a previous marriage were already young men when Quinn was born.

Dale Conour with his son Quinn, 2. Conour's two children from a previous marriage were already young men when Quinn was born. Rosanne Sax/Courtesy of Dale Conour hide caption

itoggle caption Rosanne Sax/Courtesy of Dale Conour

Making Fatherhood An Insider's Game: Becoming A Dad, Again, At 49

More men are having kids later in life — and some are having babies, for the second time, in middle age. That means they're changing diapers while their peers are sending their own kids to college.

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Mike Buchanan gives his presentation, "Let's Get Political," at the International Conference on Men's Issues, held in June near Detroit. Buchanan founded a political party in the U.K., Justice for Men & Boys, in 2013.

Mike Buchanan gives his presentation, "Let's Get Political," at the International Conference on Men's Issues, held in June near Detroit. Buchanan founded a political party in the U.K., Justice for Men & Boys, in 2013. Fabrizio Costantini/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Fabrizio Costantini/Getty Images

For Men's Rights Groups, Feminism Has Come At The Expense Of Men

Men's rights movement leaders say they're pushing back against the excesses of feminism and highlighting the problems of men and boys. Critics argue that misogyny is lurking just below the surface.

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Lindolfo Carballo, an immigrant from El Salvador, meets his son, Raynel, outside school. In El Salvador, he says, families often "teach their boys one thing and their girls differently." He's trying to set a different example for his children.

Lindolfo Carballo, an immigrant from El Salvador, meets his son, Raynel, outside school. In El Salvador, he says, families often "teach their boys one thing and their girls differently." He's trying to set a different example for his children. Sarah Tilotta for NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Sarah Tilotta for NPR

Code Switch

To Model Manhood, Immigrant Dads Draw From Two Worlds

Many immigrant men in the U.S. work hard to hold onto definitions of masculinity from their native countries — while also rejecting more rigid gender roles that may be the norm in their homelands.

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Dan Huff rests after a long day's work. He spent much of his life incarcerated in the California prison system. Now, he lives in drug- and alcohol-free transitional housing in Portland, Ore.

Dan Huff rests after a long day's work. He spent much of his life incarcerated in the California prison system. Now, he lives in drug- and alcohol-free transitional housing in Portland, Ore. Beth Nakamura for NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Beth Nakamura for NPR

'I Am Not An Inmate ... I Am A Man. And I Have Potential'

Many of the 2 million men serving time in the U.S. have formed their sense of manhood while incarcerated. And becoming a different kind of man isn't easy — either behind bars, or beyond them.

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Danny Done, 26, worshipful master of the Queen Anne Masonic Lodge in Seattle. The fraternity is "a really interesting social network that's not online," he says.

Danny Done, 26, worshipful master of the Queen Anne Masonic Lodge in Seattle. The fraternity is "a really interesting social network that's not online," he says. Martin Kaste/NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Martin Kaste/NPR

Freemasonry Still Alive And Well, And (Mostly) Men-Only

The Freemasons are arguably one of the world's most famous men's organizations. Membership has been falling in the U.S. since the 1960s, but millennials are now showing an interest in the fraternity.

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The Colorado Rush, a gay rugby team in Denver, at practice. "I've always thought of myself as ... the rugby player that happens to be gay," says Skyler Meyer. "I never want to be the gay man who happens to play rugby."

The Colorado Rush, a gay rugby team in Denver, at practice. "I've always thought of myself as ... the rugby player that happens to be gay," says Skyler Meyer. "I never want to be the gay man who happens to play rugby." Luke Runyon/KUNC hide caption

itoggle caption Luke Runyon/KUNC

In Changing America, Gay Masculinity Has 'Many Different Shades' KUNC-FM

As attitudes toward homosexuality shift in the U.S., many gay men say that's created not just more legal freedoms but also greater freedom to express their gender identities.

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Mark Pierce enlisted in the military in 1970, served in Vietnam and retired in 2010. Years later, his two sons also joined the armed forces.

Mark Pierce enlisted in the military in 1970, served in Vietnam and retired in 2010. Years later, his two sons also joined the armed forces. Courtesy of Mark Pierce hide caption

itoggle caption Courtesy of Mark Pierce

From A Father And Son, What It Means To Be A Military Man

Enlisting has been a rite of passage for men in the Pierce family since the Civil War. And as America has changed, Mark Pierce and his son Jeremy explain, what it means to serve has, too.

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Ricky Nussle will move next year to Ohio from Phoenix for his wife, Amanda Saraf, who is training to be a doctor. The couple has moved several times for Saraf's career and it's been difficult for Nussle to find work along the way.

Ricky Nussle will move next year to Ohio from Phoenix for his wife, Amanda Saraf, who is training to be a doctor. The couple has moved several times for Saraf's career and it's been difficult for Nussle to find work along the way. Peter O'Dowd for NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Peter O'Dowd for NPR

More Men Put Ambitions On Back Burner For Their Partners' Careers KJZZ-FM

Women have been moving for their husbands' jobs for decades. But today, more men are following in their partners' footsteps — and grappling with the implications for their own careers.

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Brent Almond with his 4-year-old son, Jon. Almond began blogging several years ago to review kids' products, but soon found that he got more satisfaction from chronicling daily life as a father.

Brent Almond with his 4-year-old son, Jon. Almond began blogging several years ago to review kids' products, but soon found that he got more satisfaction from chronicling daily life as a father. Jennifer Ludden/NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Jennifer Ludden/NPR

'You're Not Alone': Dads Who Blog Redefine Modern Fatherhood

The time fathers spend with their kids has nearly tripled in a generation. No surprise, then, that hundreds of dads are now blogging about parenting — and challenging stereotypes about fathers.

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Matt de la Peña is the author of Ball Don't Lie, Mexican WhiteBoy, We Were Here, I Will Save You and, most recently, The Living.

Matt de la Peña is the author of Ball Don't Lie, Mexican WhiteBoy, We Were Here, I Will Save You and, most recently, The Living. Random House Children's Books hide caption

itoggle caption Random House Children's Books

Secrets Spawned Of Machismo, Matchmaking And MySpace

What does it take to be a man? In writer Matt de la Peña's family, it's meeting your woman in a traditionally macho way. Until now, he hasn't told them how he really met his wife eight years ago.

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Kumar Chandran and Elanor Starmer with their son, Kailas Chandran. The couple's friends are envious of Chandran's paid paternity leave.

Kumar Chandran and Elanor Starmer with their son, Kailas Chandran. The couple's friends are envious of Chandran's paid paternity leave. Marisa Penaloza/NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Marisa Penaloza/NPR

More Dads Want Paternity Leave. Getting It Is A Different Matter

Paid paternity leave is a luxury in the U.S. Just 10 to 15 percent of employers offer it, even though an increasing number of fathers want, and expect, time off with a new child.

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