Our men aren't lost, they're just making different choices

AUGUST 9 — The internet was abuzz with reactions to our prime minister's daughter bemoaning the 'lost generation' of men.

Men are eschewing university, she said, with women outnumbering them across institutions of learning.

I looked at recent statistics (as far back as 2012) and women have been outnumbering men in said institutions since, and even before, then.

If there is one thing I learned is that having tertiary education does not guarantee high status or success in life.

I have male friends who dropped out of college for various reasons, and many of them earn more than I do now.

What do Michael Dell, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates have in common? They dropped out of college and went on to create the most recognisable names in tech.

While I hate MLMs and get-rich-quick scheme evangelists, one true thing they have said is that the money isn't in earning 9-to-5.

Either you're born with rich parents or you have figured out the mysteries of business or investing.

The problem with higher education is that it takes a not-small amount of time and money, and not everyone is suited for it.

In the days where women were mainly homemakers it did not make sense for them to go to university.

Now, higher education is an insurance policy for women so they can be self-reliant in the event they choose to be single or are left widowed or divorced.

As any fresh graduate will tell you, a degree isn't a guarantee you will get a good job.

In Malaysia too, an academic career is seen as soft and "suitable" for women as there is no physical exertion involved and the hours are fairly set.

The writer said the problem with higher education is that it takes a not-small amount of time and money, and not everyone is suited for it. — File picture by Yusof Mat Isa

No objection from parents as their daughters won't be working late hours and even if a woman chooses to be a housewife, having an education gives her the knowledge to tutor her children at a basic level or perhaps run a business from home.

It is rather disappointing that of all people the prime minister's daughter is asking, "What about the men?"

In a country where men are still prioritised and still make up most higher management and leadership positions, it is perhaps more troubling to see that education hasn't done much to address that imbalance.

A world which already prioritises men does not need women to wring their hands worrying about male welfare.

* This is the personal opinion of the columnist.