Some of America's crises could be assuaged or aided by solving the fatherlessness epidemic and curbing misandry in society, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., told Fox News.
Speaking with Mark Levin on "Life, Liberty & Levin," Hawley said that while America has many crises to deal with, those involving youth, crime and family economics can be attributed at least in part to the decline in fatherhood and increase in male depression since the 20th Century.
"America needs stronger men. You look at the statistics: We've got record numbers of suicides among men. We've got record levels of depression, record levels of drug abuse and alcohol abuse," Hawley said.
He added that a large portion of America's male population is missing from the workforce, with many simply no longer making attempts to seek employment and others abandoning their familial responsibilities.
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"They're not having families, or they're leaving their families. If we want to end child poverty in America, put fathers back in the homes providing for their kids — if we want to end the childhood crime epidemic… put a father back in the home," he said.
Men who leave their families behind or are no longer interested in being a strong, positive force need to regain their responsibility, Hawley said, adding that many left-wing Democrats and activists poisoned the well of masculinity by convincing swaths of the country that "manhood is inherently toxic" and that men are a net detriment to the planet.
"That's just not true," Hawley said. "We need to be sending the opposite message."
Levin agreed, noting the Democratic Party itself, along with President Biden, are "at war" with men as a biological gender.
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He pointed to executive orders about transgender individuals and "fiats" solely based on ethnicity and not on merit, slamming second gentleman Douglas Emhoff for his public claims of "toxic masculinity."
Hawley said Levin was largely correct, saying Democrats have for some time ascribed to a somewhat misandrist ideology.
He said that as the father of two boys, he understands how strongly the education system teaches them their gender is nefarious.
"From the time they go to preschool, for heaven's sake, they're taught that if they're a boy, if they want to be aggressive, if they want to talk about guns — 'Oh, that's bad' — they need to be medicated, quieted down."
"When they get a little older, they're taught that manhood is inherently dangerous, that it contributes to climate change, that they need to renounce their masculinity."
This misandrist ideology "suffuses, permeates our media and culture [and is] all driven by the Left," he said, adding it is no surprise many men no longer feel eager to pursue education or employment in such a society.
"We need [men] to go out there and work. We need them to start a family," Hawley said. "We need them to provide. If you want to change America for the better, get men to be strong again, to take on their responsibilities and to be leaders."
